


The Loveless Prince

by NiuNiu



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Emotional Hurt, M/M, Mystery, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Promptis - Freeform, Psychological Drama, Rating May Change, Romance, Royalty, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-30
Updated: 2018-03-04
Packaged: 2018-09-13 07:18:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 29
Words: 196,869
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9112408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NiuNiu/pseuds/NiuNiu
Summary: Like all the Lucis's rulers before him, seven days after his 20th birthday Noctis is taken to the royal Astral Ceremony, led by an Oracle, to hear his initiation mission given by the Astrals. Only by clearing the Divine Mission will the heir be accepted by the Astrals and be then officially recognized as the true heir of Lucis.  To everyone's shock, the Divine Mission is something which has never happened before in the history of Lucis;“Noctis Lucis Caelum, the heir of Lucis’s throne and the rightful king of Lucis. You are being asked to go forth and find your rightful partner, who will rule the Lucis's with you".





	1. Divine Mission

**Author's Note:**

> Hitting the FFXV fandom with a brand new Promptis fic! I wish you pleasant journey with the fic! Please note the rating will go higher as the story progresses. All chapters containing sexual material will be noted before hand, so you may skip them if you enjoy the fic otherwise.
> 
> I want to thank the_sukekiyo_vandal for the proofreading!

 

“The day has come.”

Ignis’s voice from the doorway got Noctis’s attention. He turned around on his heels in front of a tall, silver framed mirror, fumbling with the fastening of the dark Greatcoat which hung heavily on his shoulders.

“Yeah, but the day I would finally learn how to get this thing on properly hasn’t,” Noctis muttered, frustrated. 

“That’s why you have me,” Ignis said simply, stepping inside and within a few seconds the tricky fastening had been tamed by his hands. “Though I must say, this still look a bit too big on your shoulders,” Ignis noted when the cloak was in its place, a small tone of humor in his voice.

 “What can I say? I haven’t gained much character these years,” Noctis shrugged nonchalantly, and the gesture made the Greatcoat look even bigger on him. “By the way, I take it that it’s that time already?”

“We’ll leave in thirty minutes,” was Ignis’s reply.

Noctis’s eyebrows furrowed together.

“Gladio and Prompto aren’t here yet…” he said but Ignis only smiled lightly.

“I saw Prompto in the main hall, fussing about the big day like it was about him. Can’t blame him though. This day excites me, too.”

“It does?” Noctis asked, his eyebrow cocking lazily, eyes focusing on Ignis’s completely calm face.

Ignis cleared his throat.

“I assure you it does,” he said, adjusting his glasses better on the bridge of his fine nose. “I have made sure the banquet afterwards will be the best ever served. That has given me some extra excitement.”

“Yeah, I’ve seen you hurrying around a lot lately. Thanks for the help. I look forward to all your tasty creations. And Gladio?”

“Gladio is still retrieving Iris, but he said he would make it in time, even if it would mean violating the speed limits.”

“As long as he doesn’t wreck the car. Father will be upset if he does,” Noctis mumbled.

“Are we talking about His Highness or Your Highness now?” Ignis sounded amused.

Noctis wasn’t humored.

“Anyway, go pick up Prompto. It’s not a good idea to leave him alone for a long time with that state of mind. Call Gladio and say they can slip in with Iris if they are late. I don’t mind,” he simply said, taking a look at himself in the mirror. His rather lithe frame was almost drowned under the dark Greatcoat, and his face looked very pale with such enormous amount of black fabric surrounding him.

With a small nod, Ignis left the roomleaving Noctis alone with his thoughts on how to get rid of the too heavy Greatcoat shiftily. It didn’t help his discomfort that the high collar of his black woolen uniform was too tight around his neck, and it was hot as hell with the matching pants. Noctis really didn’t like the cloak but rules were rules and traditions were traditions. If you wanted to participate in your initiation day to become the rightful heir to the Lucis throne, the heavy, annoying black cloak with the suffocating woolen uniform were a must and there was no way squirming out of it. Whether to be king or queen, the same traditional outfit was required for this big event – and to many other boring royal events. Especially the cloak.

The room’s door opened again and Prompto’s smiling face peeked in.

“Hi, Noct. Looking good,” he greeted Noctis with a timid smirk, clearly nervous about this big day.

“This outfit is icky and heavy and too hot and it’s strangling me,” Noct whined, earning a chuckle from Prompto.

“Of course it strangles you. You’ve got the collar buttoned wrong. Come on, even I know how to do it right,” he laughed at Noctis, his fingers reaching to his collar and undoing the buttons.

“Are you my mom now, too? I thought Ignis was enough,” Noctis asked, embarrassed.

“Nope! I’m your best friend, arriving to save the prince when he’s in trouble,” Prompto basically chirped, finishing the fixing of the collar. “I can’t believe you got the buttons all wrong and Ignis – by the Astrals – didn’t tell you about it.”

“I had issues with this stupid cloak”, Noctis simply explained.

“Anyway, I heard from Iris just a moment ago. Boy, they surely need to put the pedal to the metal to get in here before the ceremony!”

“I bet Iris was screaming at Gladio to slow down.”

Prompto laughed, his head falling backwards.

“Quite the opposite. She was screaming that she would beat Gladdy up if he didn’t make it in time.”

“Talk about siblings…” Noct shrugged. Then his attention turned back to Prompto. “How are you? Ignis said you had some butterflies.”

“Butterflies? I’ve got a herd of madly jumping confused frogs in my tummy!” Prompto whined, spreading his arms to his sides dramatically.

“I don’t understand why you are so nervous. It’s going to be fine and besides, your job is just to stand there and take some photos. I’m the one who should be nervous.”

“But what if I cause some trouble? I don’t know all the etiquette rules. This isn’t some royal dinner, Noct, this is about your future! Your destiny! Oh god, I think I’m going to get an upset stomach if I stress about this any longer,” Prompto honestly looked ill as he rubbed his slender arms hastily, jumping from one foot to another.

Noctis’s palms landed on Prompto’s shoulders, stopping him from fidgeting.

“It’s going to be fine. Take it as an adventure. Besides, you are a good photographer. You know how to read the atmosphere. That’s what good photographers do so there’s no way you will cause any trouble. I trust you,” Noctis assured his friend with a soft smile.

Prompto’s eyes lightened up immediately.

“Thank you, Noct! I won’t let you down.” He beamed.

“That’s the spirit. Now, go change into the official uniform. The ceremony is about to start.”

“Do I need to fix my hair?” Prompto asked, hastily brushing the pointed tips of his blond hair upwards.

Noctis only shook his head.

“You look fine.”

 

 ----------------------------

 

The great Astral Church located inside the Lucis’s gigantic manor was swirling with people all around the region. Royalty, nobles, politicians, all the prominent figures of the society had gathered there by the invitation of the Lucis family. The private churches had served the Lucis family for centuries on the important day of the heir of the throne turning 20 years old. A week after their birthday, the heir would be taken to the Astral Ceremony, led by an Oracle, to hear their initiation mission given by the Astrals. Only by clearing the Divine Mission would the heir be accepted by the Astrals and be then officially recognized as the true heir of Lucis.

And today, on the 6th day of September, when the moon was lingering between the dark sky scrapers of Insomnia, it was Noctis’s turn to step in front of the royal Oracle to receive his Divine Mission. During the Astral Ceremony, Noctis would also learn who of the six divine beings would be his closest Astral to whom he might turn to in need of help. The Astrals didn’t send the heir to their mission without some help from their part, but the heir themselves would need to do the majority of the work. The Astral assigned would simply just nudge them a bit in the right direction.

It would have been a total understatement to say Noctis was nervous. Inside he was freaked to death, though he tried to keep his face as straight and calm as possible. This day had arrived a lot faster than he had anticipated despite he had grown up knowing the path to the throne wouldn’t be just a straight line. He needed to deserve it. While standing in front of the tall painting in the front of the church’s altars, waiting for the ceremony to start properly, Noctis scanned the room to see his royal guardians. There was his father, in a bit of weak health due the ring’s power. His face was calm and content despite the fact that a cane was now his loyal companion whenever the king needed to walk. On king Regis’s right side sat Gladio with a slightly sweat covered face, as he had just barely made it in time with Iris, running from the front yard all the way to the church. Noctis couldn’t see Iris, as she wasn’t allowed in the front row due to etiquette reasons, but he assumed she was also catching her breath somewhere in the back. Ignis had his eyes on Noctis when he found him from the left side of the church’s front benches. He gave Noctis a small encouraging nod, which Noct returned back. Prompto had found himself a spot near a tall marble pillar close to the front row. As a photographer, he had been given special permission to roam free inside the church during the ceremony, as long as he didn’t disturb anyone. Otherwise his place would have been somewhere in the back row with Iris, despite being Noctic’s best – and only – friend. A normal friend, not part of Noctis’s life because his position as prince. Prompto was just Prompto.

When the church bell rang with a hollow tone, Noctis took a deep breath, readying himself for this big event. He had stayed up almost the whole night thinking what kind of a mission the Astrals would bestow upon him. Would it be something very dangerous? Or difficult? Would it take a short or long time to clear? Would he need to travel far away with his guardians or would the Astrals ban any outside help from him? As Noctis took a step to the altar, invited there by their Oracle Lunafreya – his childhood friend and a political bride to be -  he mentally crossed his fingers to get a mission which was just slaying some beast and getting back here. 

“Noctis Lucis Caelum,” Lunafreya’s voice echoed beautifully, “The Astrals are calling you to fulfill your destiny as the next heir of Lucis’s throne and to have their blessing. Are you ready to receive your Personal Astral and Their Divine Mission?”

“Yes, I am,” Noctis replied like he was supposed to, as firmly as possible.

Lunafreya spread her arms, her oracle’s trident in right hand, and drew a circle in the air with her hands, bringing the trident in front of her. She tapped its end against the floor three times, and a strong white light shot out from the trident, lighting the altar like a small, cold sun. Noctis could feel an Astral approaching. He kept his eyes fixed on Lunafreya’s face as she summoned the divine being to speak out loud. A foreign language spoken by a female filled the air, the voice bright and full of wisdom, which Noctis could tell even though he didn’t understand any of the words.

“Shiva, the Goddess of Ice and Clarity, has blessed you with her guidance,” Lunafreya opened her eyes softly when the Astral had stopped talking. “Will you, Noctis Lucis Caelum, the heir of Lucis’s throne, accept this Astral as your divine guide?”

“I do.”

With a warm smile, Lunafreya nodded at Noctis approvingly and closed her eyes again. It was Shiva’s turn to speak and as her unearthly voice played inside the church, chantingly filling the air, Noctis’s heart was about to burst out from his chest from the sheer anxiousness. She was telling him his Divine Mission.

“Noctis Lucis Caelum, the heir of Lucis’s throne and the rightful king of Lucis. You are being asked to go forth and find your rightful partner, who will rule the Lucis’s with you,” Lunafreya spoke with a loud, clear voice, her eyes still shut.

The whole audience in the church gasped and surprised mumbling started to echo quietly from the seats behind Noctis after Lunafreya’s statement. Noctis’s eyes widened, lips parting.

“What?” he whispered, confused. “But I have a partner already, a wife to be” he defended himself, gesturing towards Lunafreya.

She shook her head, letting the Astral speak again before translating her words.

“I, Lunafreya Nox Fleuret, am not your rightful partner, for the Astrals have blessed you with someone else. This I have already known as an Oracle, but kept as a secret until the Astrals would give me permission to speak out loud of it, and that time has come now,” Lunafreya spoke warmly, her eyes lovingly on Noctis. “You must go, out to the world, and find your rightful partner, for this is what the Astrals have decided for you.”

The muttering and surprised mumbling rose louder inside the building. Hastily, Noctis turned to look at his father for some help. He hadn’t expected this kind of a mission. No one had. He could see surprise also in king Regis’s eyes, but quickly the old king composed himself and simply nodded, encouraging Noctis to continue the ceremony.

“Will you, Noctis Lucis Caelum, accept this Divine Mission to gain access to the throne? If you decline your mission or if you fail in it, the throne will be given to someone else, for this is the law of Lucis.”

“I’ll do it!” Nostic whipped his head back towards Lunafreya, losing a bit of his composure which he was supposed to keep during the formal ceremony.

“As to every heir, you are also given three free questions for your personal Astral regarding your Divine Mission. Do you want to use one of those questions now?” Lunafreya asked, her gaze landing softly on Noctis.

In all honestly, Noctis had no idea what to even think about this mission. Him, going out to hunt himself a wife? Not to kill any beasts or save a nation or fight for suppressed people? But to go and get himself involved in some love story? This had to be… He wanted to think it was a joke but he couldn’t.

“Yes, I want to use one of the questions now,” he answered, clearing his throat. “I wish to know why am I given this specific Divine Mission?”

There was a small silence, until Shiva’s voice was heard again. Her words sounded thoughtful and motherly, and Noctis waited nervously for the answer. Finally, Shiva finished and Lunafreya opened her eyes, lifting her chin up.

“A good king needs a good partner he can trust while ruling the lands. Love is important and there’s much you need to learn about love, young prince. Without love you can’t rule your nation. Without love you can’t understand your people and mend their needs. As with all Divine Missions, clearing this will help you in your destiny as a king of Lucis.”

Noctis would have wanted to argue back that what Shiva had just said was simply stupid. He wouldn’t need to go out to find a wife in a Divine Mission. He could be married to someone who helped him to be stronger and rule his nation in the future anyway, without any Divine Mission. The Divine Missions were extremely important quests and right now Noctis failed to see or understand how this type of a mission would benefit him. He swallowed his arguments down.

“You are allowed to travel with your friends and roam the lands freely in your quest. You may seek any assistance and help you want during your Divine Mission. The Astrals wish you well. Go now, young prince, the heir of Lucis.”

With that, Shiva’s presence left the room, leaving Noctis as well as the audience baffled. Lunafreya finished the Astral Meeting with a small traditional prayer and sent Noctis down from the altar.  Walking towards the exist of the church, Noctis could feel everyone’s stares drilling into him as the guests kept whispering and muttering to each other.

He knew what they were thinking and it hurt his pride.

As soon as he got out to the long hallway, he hastened his steps and headed towards his room. He didn’t care about the banquet that was taking a place after this. His father could handle it. Right now Noctis wanted to be left alone. He was disappointed and angry. He ignored Prompto’s call after him and hurried up the steps, making his way with a determined look towards his own room. When he finally got in, he tore the cloak off from his shoulders with an angry yank and tossed the fabric on his bed.

Of course, Ignis was there in a second, his face worried.

“Noctis,” he began, but Noctis stopped him.

“I can’t believe this!” he was unbuttoning the wool jacket with a frustrated face. “Did you hear that, Ignis? What a stupid mission!”

“Noctis, please, this isn’t what we expected, but you have to calm down. There’s always a good reason why an Astral gives a certain type of mission,” Ignis tried to placate Noctis down.

“A good reason!” Noctis almost shrieked. “She basically hinted that I’m incapable of ruling without a wife! Why is she such a big deal anyway?! I’ve got you guys and other experts and authorities helping me out. The political marriage with Luna would have done just fine with me. Actually, from what I know, it would have been perfect, for we have grown up together and she’s an Oracle.” He tossed the jacket down on the floor.

“I agree that would have been a wise choice, but clearly the Astrals are somehow against it. Besides, you heard Lunafreya. She knew this was supposed to happen. You must act upon your position and think also of Lunafreya’s feelings,” Ignis talked soothingly, picking the jacket up and placing it on the chair’s backrest.

Prompto dashed inside the room, Gladio on his heels.

“Noct, are you alright?” Gladio asked, closing the door behind him.

“Noct…” Prompto whined sadly.

“…Fine. I’m fine. Just… really pissed off,” Noctis took a deep breath, flopping to sit on his bed side. “Honestly, I was expecting some manly mission but now I’m… Gah, I don’t even want to talk about that.”

Gladio crossed his arms, frowning.

“I get what you mean. The whole audience was mumbling how the Astrals are probably seeing you as not fitting to rule the region alone. This does affect your image as the next king.”

“Exactly the same thing I was telling Ignis,” Noctis pointed at Ignis with a frustrated huff. Ignis shifted his weight to another leg.

“I’m also surprised. I’d understand the Astral’s wish to get yourself a wife if the king was either retiring next year or dead, as at the age of 20 you are definitely still too young and inexperienced to rule without a partner. In that sense, Shiva’s Divine Mission is logical.”

“But as far as we know, the king is still doing well and there shouldn’t be any reason for him to retire or die any time soon, despite the Wall sucking out his power,” Gladio agreed.

“Do… Do you think something bad will happen and Noct _does_ need a wife soon?” Prompto’s whimpering turned everyone’s attention to him.

A silence fell in the room.

“That is always possible,” Ignis finally admitted.

“Everything is always possible in life. You honestly never know what’s going to happen tomorrow,” Gladio sighed, looking down at Noctis, who was leaning his head against his palms, looking more or less devastated. “However, that’s not something we should fret about. Let’s just get this mission over with. Then we will be wiser and see what this is all about.”

“And before that, let’s get this evening over with,” Ignis pointed out. “Noctis, I know you really aren’t up to it after what we just learned, but we need to join the banquet. Your disappearance like this isn’t going to help the bad rumors.”

“I agree. Besides Iris is worried about you, too. You should go say hi to her,” Gladio said.

“Yeah. Come on, Noct. We have been through more horrible things than finding a wife,” Prompto said, shaking Noctis from his shoulders. “Who knows, maybe it turns out to be a very fun trip! Maybe she’s a real babe!”

“Careful, Prompto, we’re not looking for a girlfriend for you,” Gladio nudged Prompto’s shoulder with his forearm.

“And if she doesn’t end up being a babe or any good choice, there’s always a divorce; though it’s always a bit questionable with a king, especially when the spouse has been found via Divine Mission” Ignis said, his voice rather mischievous despite his words.

“Ooh, I like the way you think!” Prompto caught the drill immediately, turning his head towards Noctis. “Don’t worry, Noct. With our help you will find a really good partner in no time!” Then his face darkened, lips pressing together into a thin line. “Though it’s a shame Miss Luna isn’t the bride. I already pictured her beside Noct as the queen.”

“There must be a good reason why the gods have decided against your mental image,” Ignis sighed.

Noctis remained silent, sitting on his bed. Prompto sat next to him when he didn’t react at all.

“Noct, I think we should go to the banquet, like Ignis suggested,” he said softly, his palm on Noctis’s back.

The young prince straightened himself with a groan.

“Fine,” was his short reply as he stood up and fixed his shirt’s hem. “I just don’t understand why Luna wouldn’t do.”

Ignis was already handing the uniform jacket towards Noctis. He stood in silence for a second, but then accepted the jacket with a small sigh, letting Ignis help him into it.

“I’m also upset it’s not Luna,” Gladio agreed. “But we can’t think that now. This day needs to be finished first and you, young man, have a role you need to pull through, whether you like it or not.”

“Don’t young man me, you’re only a few years older,” Noctis mumbled.

“You can always talk with Luna at the banquet, or after it,” Prompto pointed out. “I’m sure she’ll gladly tell you all she knows, as the Oracle’s job is to help the king – and the future king, too.”

“Yeah, that’s something I should do. Knowing Luna she’s known about this for a long time already. Must have been hard for her,” Noctis muttered, reaching for the Greatcoat lying on the bed. He tossed it on his shoulders but failed again to fasten it. Ignis had to help him out.

“Whatever mumbling we might hear at the banquet or afterwards, right now we need to act indifferent to it. We are as clueless as everyone else about why the Astrals are sending you out for this mission, and we can’t let our minds be filled with doubts. Otherwise, we’re nothing but participating in the bad vibes,” Ignis lectured Noctis brotherly.

“The best way to kill the rumors it to prove them wrong,” Gladio walked next to Noctis and slammed his big hand on his upper back. “So, let’s go kill some of them. Keep your head up high, shoulders back and eyes focused on ahead. “

“I’ll see what can I do. Thanks,” Noctis nodded, returning the pat on Gladio’s upper arm.

As they finally reached the first floor’s enormous ball room, which had been turned into a royal buffet of dishes organized by Ignis, everyone’s attention drew to Noctis. The guests greeted him with bows, their bodies bending forward in unison as Noctis walked further in, searching for Lunafreya with his gaze. He found her in one of the corners, talking with a high priest, her brother Ravus standing next to her. He was the one to notice Noctis, his face turning sour. Noctis ignored this and slid next to Lunafreya.

“We need to talk”, he whispered into her ear, trying to look composed despite feeling the intense stares of everyone on his body.

Lunafreya smiled in return with her eyes, and turned her attention to the high priest.

“It was a pleasure, Father,” she curtseyed, then asking Ravus to wait for her. She accepted Noctis’s outstretched crook of an arm with an amused, small smirk.

“Let’s find a place where we can talk in peace, but first, you need to meet some of the most important guests – including your father. His eyes have been worried since you rushed out from the church like that,” she spoke to him with a low tone, just barely above a whisper.

“I’m sorry for what I did,” Noctis replied, face heading forward as they walked through the ball room. “And I’m sorry.”

Lunafreya shook her head slightly.

“No need for that. My mission, like yours, is to follow the will of the Astrals. This I will do gladly, without hesitation.”  She leaned closer to him, “I’d like to have a word with your father as well as with your guardians, and that friend of yours. I think you all need some clarification. Isn’t that why you came for me?”

“I also wanted to see if you were alright,” he replied in all honestly, earning a chuckle from Lunafreya.

“You are still the same sweet boy despite the build of a young man, Noctis.”

He blushed but said nothing.


	2. The Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Noctis promises to see this mission to the end, hoping no one would notice how nervous he actually is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, thank you for your surprisingly enormous support with the first chapter! I have read and reread all your comments, screamed at your kudos and aaw'ed at you bookmarks. Thank you! Never hesitate to drop me a fic note, even if it would be just "thanks!" - I sincerely appreciate every single one of your comments.

The walk to King Regis with Lunafreya at his side felt like an eternity to Noctis. He could catch a mumble here and a mutter there, nasty and bad rumors about him, which had started immediately. Despite all the lights, food, good music and decorations, Noctis could feel tension in the room, pushed underneath the political small talk and etiquette rules. When they finally arrived in front of the old king, who was talking with Cor Leonis, slightly leaning against his cane, Noctis was already fed up and ready to return back to his room.

“My son,” Regis’s face lit up when he noticed Noctis and Luna, and as Cor bowed at them as a in greeting. “You had me worried,” the King added after the formal greetings had been given by both parties.

“I’m sorry,” Noctis just blurted out, painfully aware how sternly Cor was staring at him. Noctis knew the man was disappointed with his actions and there was little Noctis could do about it now.

“I wish to speak with you, Your Highness,” Lunafreya said politely, earning a warm smile from the  King.

“I was hoping the same.”

“I understand that the Divine Mission might have come across as a surprise, not to mention the marriage we had already set into to stone needs to be brushed aside. But as an Oracle, I assure you, dear King Regis, that the will of the Astrals is always to support the line of Lucis even when we didn’t understand their actions for their wisdom is greater than ours,” Lunafreay spoke and Noctis wasn’t sure whether her words were meant for his father or for himself. He felt  uncomfortable.

King Regis closed his eyes and nodded thoughtfully.

“It does sadden my heart to miss such a wonderful daughter-in-law, but by all means I have no intentions to disobey the will of Astrals,” he said with a fatherly voice and then turned his attention to Noctis, “This is something my son also needs to understand. Nothing in this nation, in this line of blood, can go against the will of Astrals, or we will be doomed. This doesn’t affect only the Lucis, but our whole region, every single inhabitant in it. This isn’t a personal matter, Noctis. This is a matter of everyone.”

Noctis didn’t have any words to reply to his father. He felt how Lunafreya’s hold tightened lightly around his arm and he turned to look at her face, those beautiful eyes of hers full of comfort and understanding.

“That is a  the position of king, Noctis. Your days as a carefree prince are over,” Cor added to King Regis’s words.“If you would fail in this mission, it would cause not only national restlessness, but also international harm. Other regions would see it as a weakening of Lucis and use that in advance to possible political blackmailing, even for an assault of our nation,” he continued, his voice deep and dark. “While we would be able to assign someone else to take your place as the future king, it would still be a very devastating blow to us. You surely do understand the gravity of your assignment, do you not?”

He stared at Noctis calmly, but his eyes were dead serious, his words pushing Noctis’s shoulders down with the weight of the black Greatcoat. He was unable to reply fast enough.

“Now, now, while the Divine Mission is important and it does have effect on our nation, let’s not bring Noctis down before the mission has even started,” King Regis lightened up the atmosphere with a small chuckle. “To think of it, the mission sounds actually a lot better than mine or my father’s or his mother’s. I’m sure it will be challenging but also a great adventure. Love is a wonderful thing to be sought.”

While Noctis knew  father was trying to help him, it still didn’t work all that well. He cleared his throat, lifting his chin up and pushing his shoulders back, just like Gladio had advised.

“I promise to see this mission to the end,” he simply stated, hoping they wouldn’t notice how nervous he actually was. How scared he was about such a vague mission. “I definitely will bring her home. Bring her to the altar of our church, to be witnessed by Shiva herself. This is my promise,” he added with a steely gaze.

“And we will help you with that.”

Ignis’s voice came from behind Noctis which startled him. He turned hastily around, seeing also Gladio, Prompto and Iris there. He couldn’t suppress the relieved tiny smile which crept on his lips.

“I wasn’t trained to be a wife fetcher, but I’ll definitely do my best at shielding you against anything,” Gladio crossed his arms over his chest, puffing his upper body boisterously. 

“And knowing how lousy you are at taking care of yourself, you definitely need someone to cook for you,.” Ignis pushed his glasses up.

“Yeah! Ignis can be the substitute wife until we find the real one,” Prompto grinned impishly, causing the party to laugh out loud at Ignis’s displeasure.

Iris fidgeted behind Gladio, stepping carefully closer to Noctis.

“I wish you’ll find her soon,” she spoke with rosy cheeks, shyly avoiding Noctis’s gaze. “And let me know if Gladdy is troubling you.”

“Hey…” Gladio protested but Noctis only nodded, patting Iris’s head.

“Thanks. I will.”

The redness on Iris’s cheeks deepened immediately and she laughed, obviously trying to hide her nervous excitement.

“I’m not really good at anything, really, but I plan to stick along,” Prompto popped out in front of Noctis, scratching the back of his head.

“Nonsense. You are good at taking photos. You will be the documentarist of this mission,” Noctis pointed out.

“And with some little morning exercises, we can whip you into a more skilled fighter,” Gladio looked down at Prompto and it was clear he was already planning how to torture the lithe young man with morning jogs and long training sessions.

“Thanks, but I’ll stick with the photos.”

King Regis’s warm chuckle cut off the boys’ banter. His eyes were content when he looked at them all.

“I have no doubt in you, my son. With this group of yours, you will definitely finish the mission in no time. Right, Cor?” he turned his head slowly to Cor, who straightened his posture, placing his hand behind his back.

“I think the young prince will do fine,” he admitted, earning a gasp from Prompto.

“The Immortal One just praised us…” he breathed out, amazed.

“However, Iris will stay behind,” Gladio said loudly, and everyone’s eyes fixated on Iris. Her cheeks puffed a bit, but whatever arguments or plans she had all died down when Gladio continued brotherly. “I’m sure Noctis will be upset if we get a civilian involved and hurt during the trip. Especially if it’s a young lady.”

She took a look at Noctis, who was standing silently near her. When their eyes met, Iris shifted a bit, causing her to turn away slightly.

“Fine. I’ll do it. Don’t worry about me, Noctis!” she shrugged her shoulders. “Give me a call if you need me!”

“Gentlemen,” Lunafreya gestured at Noctis and his friends. “I’ll need to have a word with the King and after that I want to talk with you all. Let us meet when the banquet is over.”

The air around them got heavy after Lunafreya’s words. Noctis’s brows furrowed together on their own.

“Alright. I wanted to have a proper word with you anyway. I think we all have some questions.”

Lunafreya’s face softened as she smiled gently at Noctis.

“And I’ll gladly answer all of them, if I can,” she promised sincerely.

Noctis, nor anyone else, was allowed to hear what Lunafreya was talking about with the king, as she noted it was a private message for the king himself. It wasn’t anything new though, because every Oracle serving the king would deliver direct, divine messages to the ruler of Lucis. Messages, which weren’t meant to be heard by anyone else. Thus, Noctis didn’t mind getting to talk Luna after his father, at least not as much as he did mind the banquet. All eyes were on him no matter where in the ballroom he went. And though Ignis had pulled out his full repertoire, the countless tables bending with armies of food, desserts and drinks, Noctis had no appetite. He munched on a piece of here and a piece there, left his glass half full of the white wine and kept talking with the guests at minimum. Ignis did his best bouncing between the servants and the guests for Noctis, but Prompto was following Noctis like a puppy, trying to get him to eat something and whispering to him about how they would definitely solve this problem together with Gladio and Ignis. While Noctis did appreciate Prompto’s attempts of help, it was hard to push the worrisome thoughts away from his mind. He just wished the banquet would be over soon. He excused himself out from the ballroom two hours before the end of the banquet. Prompto wanted to follow him, but Noctis asked to be left alone.

Yet, after an hour of lying alone on his bed, head full of unnecessary thoughts, Noctis’s bedroom door opened and a guilty looking Prompto peeked in.

“Sorry. I just wanted to see how you were doing,” he apologized licking his lips nervously. “Can I come in?”

“…Sure,” Noctis breathed out, somehow relieved it was just Prompto. He let his eyes fall closed again.

Prompto closed the door behind him softly and tiptoed further in. He stopped next to Noctis’s bed, watching how his friend was lying on his back, legs hanging over the mattress’s edge. He had tossed the Greatcoat and the uniform’s jacket on the chair and unbuttoned his shirt almost half way open.

“How are you doing?” Prompto asked, chewing his lower lip like he always did when he was anxious.

Noctis huffed through his nostrils, but smirked subtly anyway.

“To be honest, I’ve just tried to kill some time and not think anything at all,” he replied, not really sure whether that was a lie or not.

Prompto stared at Noctis for a while, his gaze thoughtful.

“I’m sorry for Luna. You and Luna, I mean,” he stammered a bit with his words, rubbing his upper arm through the thick official uniform’s sleeve.

Noctis waved his hand in the air nonchalantly.

“Whatever, it doesn’t concern you, so relax. Did you take any good photos?” he asked.

“…Yeah, I did. Some,” Prompto answered after a small pause. He sat next to Noctis, leaning forward against his thighs and fiddled with his fingers. “I don’t have the camera right now, so I’ll show you them later, okay?”

“Okay.”

They stayed on the bed mutual silence. Prompto kept rubbing his hands, lips parting every now and then for something to say, but then he swallowed his words, unsure of what to actually say.

“I… I hope we find her soon. So that you can get your spirit back. I want to help you as much as I can. I mean, it’s thanks to you that I am who I am now, so I’d like to help somehow. Repay the help, you know,” he finally found some right words, his voice still hesitant.

“What does that mean?” Noctis’s voice was humorous and it made Prompto straighten his back and turn his head around towards Noctis. He smirked from the corner of his mouth.

“Actually, Luna is also someone I should thank, not only you,” he smiled.

Noctis’s interest was piqued when Luna was mentioned. He pushed his upper body up to his elbows, eyebrow arching.

“Wait, what does Luna have to do with you?” he sounded honestly surprised and Prompto couldn’t help his laughter.

“It’s a long story. I’ll tell you some other time,” he winked, turning his head away from Noctis. From the corner of Prompto’s face Noctis could see that while he was still smiling softly, there was something nostalgic and sad in it. Noctis wanted to ask more, but the door opened yet again and Lunafreya stepped in.

“Luna!” Noctis breathed out and jumped to sit up. She gave him a soft, mature chuckle and walked in the room gracefully.

“I had a feeling we would need to talk sooner than I anticipated,” she explained herself, her gaze then sliding to Prompto.

Prompto blinked in surprise, his posture tightening.

“Oh, I’ll be going then,” he tottered, getting ready to leave, but Lunafreya’s open palm stopped him gently.

“You may stay. I was planning to talk about the mission with every one of you anyway.”

“So, this isn’t any direct message?” Prompto sat back down.

“It is, but you men share everything with each other anyway, don’t you?” Lunafreya’s eyes sparkled softly. “You’d hear about this sooner or later. Unless,” her head turned to Noctis, “the prince doesn’t want you to hear the message.”

“Prompto can stay,” Noctis replied quickly.

“I’ll be going immediately if you decide otherwise,” Prompto assured Noctis with a firm nod.

Luna sat next to Noctis, while Prompto backed up further on the bed. Luna placed her palms into her lap and then lifted her chin up, her eyes staring at Noctis sincerely.

“I’m sorry, Noctis, that I couldn’t tell you earlier. This has saddened me, too, but I have nothing against the will of the Astrals,” she repeated her earlier statement of how she would follow the guidance of the gods, no matter what it was. “I will do what I must. I trust in their wisdom.”

Noctis felt himself almost like a child next to Luna, despite her being only four years older than him, when he thought about how calmly she took everything, while Noctis himself had basically thrown a temper tantrum after the news. She waited for his reply patiently, eyes full of wisdom and also compassion. It made Noctis’s chest sting more.

 “I will also do what I must, though right now I’m having a really difficult time grasping why such a mission was given to me,” Noctis sighed, his tone frustrated.

“I understand and I’m aware of the commotion your Divine Mission has already caused, way before it has even started. That’s one of the subjects we talked about with your father. I’m sure he will personally tell you this before you go, but you have his full support. He’s going to look over your back while you are on your journey,” Lunafreya told him, her voice fully content.

Noctis’s head pressed down, his lips tightening.

“Tell me, Luna: What should I do with this mission? How do I even start? I’m asking this as a friend, not as a future king,” he whispered between his teeth, his eyes clouding again with doubt. 

“And I’m answering you, not as an Oracle, but as a friend, who wishes you to succeed; you must first go and search Lucis. Start from the nearest spot and expand then your journey, if it’s needed,” Lunafreya said and her words did comfort Noctis somehow.

“It’s like looking for a needle from a stack of hay, but if we go through it as a team and carefully search each crook and pile, we’ll eventually find it, yes?” Prompto put in, his head turning back and forth between Lunafreya and Noctis.

Lunafreya lifted her palm’s backside up to her lips and chuckled.

“See, Noctis. You already have wise people helping you out. You shouldn’t dwell too much in worry. A king will come across with much more difficult tasks than this. Don’t let others’ opinions and expectations matter so much, Noctis. Do what you must and go to your goal.”

Noctis remained silent, his gaze focusing on something at the opposite wall neither Luna or Prompto could see. His lips tightened again.

“Is this mission truly only about love?” he asked with a pained hiss. “You know how I am. That’s really—“

“---Not your type of a mission,” Lunafreya cut him off. “I know that. But the Astrals see something important in it. There’s a reason for it. You have to believe. You have to have faith, Noctis. I know I’m repeating myself, but if I need to do that in order to cast hope and courage into you, then I’ll repeat myself tens of times.”

“…Noct, uh, we’re not going to slay a dragon, unless we need to save some princess, but… Well, I mean… Isn’t it kind of a cool mission? To find love? Who wouldn’t want to find love and to be loved, right?” Prompto did his best to back Lunafreya up, his head coming closer to Noctis’s face. “And think again; what if she’s a really, really, really big catch, a real babe?” His face was dead serious, not even a slight totter in his voice.

Lunafreya couldn’t hide her delighted laughter at Prompto’s comment with such a face, and poor Prompto immediately took it as a sign that he had said something he shouldn’t have. Noctis was chuckling, too, doing his best to hide his smirk behind his palm and not to let his posture crumple.

Prompto’s face twisted even more.

“Come on, I didn’t mean it…!” he whined, panicking, his arms flinging in the air in an animated way. He hit Noctis’s side with his elbow, face red from embarrassment. “I was just trying to help...! Noct!”

“I’m sorry, Prompto,” Lunafreya apologized, calming down. “I’m just happy you will be accompanying Noctis. He needs some silliness and humor in his life and during the journey a laughing heart will be a much-needed company.”

A loud knock from the door interrupted their chuckling and chatting. Just when Prompto had opened his mouth to reply, Gladio and Ignis entered the room.

“We heard some laughter from Noctis’s room”, Ignis said humorously. “Something else than Prompto and Noctis screaming and laughing while playing their mobile games.”

“It’s actually Prompto who does that,” Noctis corrected, still trying not to chuckle. He got another punch from Prompto, who was blushing.

“It’s my fault, I apologize,” Lunafreya smiled back at Ignis. “Laughter is the best medicine when you are worried.”

“Is there something we should be worried about regarding Noctis’s mission? I’m sorry if this comes out bluntly,” Gladio cut in and sat on the chair near the bed. Ignis followed his example and also took a seat.

Lunafreya looked at them both tenderly, her head tilting slightly.

“I can’t possibly say what the journey might have in store for you, but as long as the mission doesn’t fail there shouldn’t be anything to worry about beside the mission itself. The Astrals have given you permission to seek any help and travel in a group, so there aren’t any limitations to that either,” she answered.

“I’ve been thinking how we need to watch for the Imperials while we are out there,” Ignis pointed out dryly. 

“And some monsters. I’ve heard there have been some daemon sightings, too,” Gladio rubbed his chin, eyes narrow.

“You… you think we might run into daemons?” Prompto asked, his whole body tense.

“It’s possible,” Ignis replied at him. Prompto paled.

Lunafreya sighed, her shoulder slumping down.

“I fear so, too. I can feel the restlessness of the Light,” her eyes were sad.

“No matter what, this still shouldn’t concern you, Noct. As long as you are aware of the possible dangers, you know how to avoid them and that’s fine. Just focus on the spouse hunt and let us do the dirty work and behind the scene jobs,” Gladio crossed his legs, leaning back in his seat, his eyes on Noctis. He returned the gaze.

“You can count me in on that,” he said, his voice coming deep from his chest.

“Geez, this is pretty serious…” Prompto muttered scratching his blond head.

“If I may, I advise you to embark as soon as possible,” Lunafreya took a look at Noctis, placing her hand on top of his shoulder. “It will also cut the rumors when you leave to your journey fast and do it with your head held up high. Like a future king; no knowledge of tomorrow’s path, yet still striving forward with pride and determination.”

“Just what I told him earlier today,” Gladio said, sounding a bit pleased that Lunafreya was agreeing with him.

Noctis looked at Lunafreya and a smile appeared slightly on his face.

“I trust your words, Luna. I always have. I suggest we spend tomorrow gathering whatever we need and readying ourselves. We should decide where to start looking before we set down the road,” Noctis spoke, his voice like a leader’s. It lit a light up to everyone’s eyes in the room.

“If we approach this logically, we should first rule down the noble single ladies around your age, and try  our luck with them,” Ignis reasoned. His statement stemmed up a new question;

How to actually tell when they would find the right partner for Noctis?

To that, even Lunafreya didn’t have an answer.

 

 

On the day the group of four men finally embarked on their Divine journey, Noctis had his stomach full of butterflies. His friends looked more eager to go than Noctis himself, but he hid his unsureness behind his neutral façade. Ignis had ruled down the suitable partners and agreed to drive to the closest one of them. He had taken a folder with the women and their information with them, and while Noctis stared absently outside the window at the scenery flying by the Regalia, Prompto and Gladio were whole heartily going through the partner options.

“Oh, I like her hair! Super pretty. Must be soft to touch,” Prompto admired one of the ladies with huge eyes.

“Miss Accipiter Strix, the daughter of Duke Accipiter Strix. Still only 17 but she’s got a very promising future ahead,” Ignis listed, his eyes on the road.

“She is rather young…” Gladio muttered, flipping the papers in his hands.

“I’ve ruled the possible fiancés between ages 17 and 25. It gives us some frame of where to start. We can widen the age gap if needed.”

“Sounds reasonable,” Prompto agreed. Gladio’s brows were still knitted together.

“The girl needs to be at least 18 years old to marry,” he noted.

“Even if we found The One for Noctis right today, there would still be 6 months’ engagement until the wedding can be arranged, just like the law says. Waiting for a year is no big deal, if the bride turns out to be just 17,” Ignis said calmly, turning the car down from the high way.

“Ah, you have two 25 year-old women here!” Prompto almost shouted. “I’m surprised they’re not already in relationships. You know, being famous and noble and all.”

“Times change, Prompto. All noble women aren’t just pretty flowers idling at home. Many of them have a good career and busy work to attend to. Some might be too busy to find a boyfriend. Some might not even want one,” Gladio answered to Prompto’s pondering.

“And we’re going to offer our Noct for someone like that,” Prompto wasn’t impressed with Gladio’s stories.

“Gotta try all the doors,” Ignis simply said.

“You’re talking about this all like I don’t exist,” Noctis sounded sullen at the back seat next to Gladio.

Prompto turned around and almost dropped the files on the go. Only Gladio’s quick reflexes saved half of the women flying out from the car.

“It’s a sign,” Prompto sighed. “Gladio, throw those out! I must have stumbled on a purpose! None of those women are right one for Noct!” he explained eagerly, standing on his knees on the shotgun’s seat.

The other guys didn’t buy it.

“What are our best doors?” Gladio asked, completely ignoring Noctis’s earlier muttering, which had now turned into whining, accompanied with Prompto’s defeated whining.

“I’d say we drop a visit first at Marquise Unda’s daughter Vitrum. She’s around Noctis’s age and I could easily picture her as a queen next to Noct,” Ignis said.

Prompto searched quickly for the right paper from both piles, while Noctis’s face just turned sour.

“What if I don’t like her?” he mumbled, still miffed that he was being ignored.

“Then it’s probably not her,” Prompto smiled over his shoulder at Noctis. He stared back at Prompto with wide eyes for a second, but then a chuckle escaped from his lips.

“Yeah,” he replied, the smile staying on.

“Oh, here she is!” Prompto squealed and almost screamed when he saw Miss. Vitrum Unda’s photo. “Oh, ah yeah mama! She’s a real deal! Look at those lips!”

Gladio took a look over Prompto’s seat at the paper, humming.

“She’s fine alright. Nice pick, Ignis.”

“Thank you.”

“Oh man, I could kiss her right away. I bet she’s got fine legs,” Prompto kept blabbering with dreamy sighs.

“…Could I also see what kind of a bride option I’m going to see soon?” Noctis huffed, completely ignored by his wingman entourage.


	3. Galdin Quay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Noctis and Prompto share a bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to ChronicProcrastinator for stepping in as a second proofreader <3  
> And thank you for your comments and BIG support so far!

 

Miss Vitrum Unda, the first bride option, would have been a rather fitting partner for Noctis if she hadn’t already been promised to her cousin, the son of Duke Serlo, and if there had been at least some chemistry between her and Noctis. It was very clear from the very first minute of meeting Miss Vitrum that this wasn’t the one who the Astrals had assigned to Noctis. The visitation was handled according to etiquette, followed by political small talk which Ignis handled especially well, Noctis following his words as well as he could according to all the speech lessons he had been given. Yet, the young prince felt rather useless after the meeting, fearing how the future would turn out to be when he would need to run from one woman to another and act all noble and intelligent, similar to Ignis. Such personality didn’t come naturally to Noctis - no surprise there - and in his chest he did feel guilty about it. Prompto was clearly disappointed that the mission hadn’t started that well. His lips were pouting as Ignis drove off from the Unda mansion’s front yard.

“So, what’s next?” he asked.

“There are still a few other ladies nearby we should drop a visit,” Ignis informed them. “I think we can meet three more today, if options one or two of them won’t ring Noctis’s bell.”

“Pretty hard to imagine anyone ringing your bell if you had just heard the bride you have been waiting to marry since childhood is not the one,” Gladio muttered, his focus turning to Noctis, who was simply staring at the scenery with an uninterested face.

“Yeah, that does suck,” Prompto agreed, and even Ignis hummed at the thought.

“A King will get sudden news and changes of plan thrown in his way, but he needs to pull through them nevertheless. That’s the role of the king,” Ignis said and earned a groan from Noctis, who had been hearing that phrase too much.

“I’m a bit worried news of this mission is going to spread like a wildfire,” Gladio leaned on his arms with a frown.

“I assure you; that will happen. Might have already started,” Ignis took a look at Gladio via the rearview mirror. “We can’t escape all the media, so we need to handle them delicately. A prince on his Divine Mission is supposed to be something the public is aware of.”

“Do I really have to talk to media?” Noctis wasn’t too happy about it.

“Calms people’s minds,” Gladio reasoned.

“Well, it is a national matter. People need to know something, but there’s no need to go into detail,” Ignis added calmly to Gladio statement.

“So, if the news about Noctis looking for a bride start to spread too quickly it will affect our trip, right?” Prompto asked Ignis, looking rather worried. Ignis’s eyebrows rose slightly.

“Absolutely.”

“Should we make some public announcement then?” Gladio pondered out loud, rubbing his beard.

“The PR and information office at the palace will handle it, yet we must keep in mind that there are people who knows Noctis’s face and the media will learn very quickly if the prince of Lucis is hanging around a certain spot for long. This will be a problem in bigger cities with many eyes,” Ignis explained.

“So we might run into some journalists out of the blue? I don’t like it…” Noctis frowned deeply, his face concerned.

“It’s better to run into journalists than to let rumors spread like wildfire,” Ignis pointed out, turning their car right on a crossway. “For now, let’s just concentrate on this mission and we deal with whatever might happen when it happens, yes? It’s better to focus on one subject at a time.”

The rest of the group agreed with Ignis’s suggestion.

Noctis felt an uneasy knot whirling tighter in his guts as the view of the next mansion appeared on the horizon. He blamed his nerves playing tricks on him and pushed the odd feeling deeper in, burying it under a fake confident façade.

 

 

By nightfall Noctis had visited three more bride options, just like Ignis had anticipated, yet none of them had been the right one. Exhausted, he just waited for a chance to crash into bed for tonight and sleep well till next morning. They had agreed on spending the night at Galdin Quay, as it was only a short distance away from their last location. Finally, when the beach with the dark sea, which glistered with the lights and stars, came visible from the last curve, a smile broke on Noctis’s face

 “I love this place,” he breathed out, happy. “It has such a good fishing spot, plus it’s so pretty.”

“This place is totally romantic,” Prompto agreed from the front seat with enthusiast nods, “I wouldn’t mind walking with someone on that beach with this scenery.”

“Yeah, me neither,” Noctis hummed.

“Such a walk needs some hand in hand combat, if you know what I mean,” Gladio smirked.

“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with walking hand in hand. Right, Noct?” Prompto defended himself, turning for Noctis’s aid. He only chuckled slightly.

“Right. I could definitely walk here hand in hand with someone.”

“See?” Prompto turned to Gladio, who looked sour.

“I didn’t say so,” Gladio sounded a bit hurt, but kept his relaxed posture nevertheless.

Slowly the car pulled into a parking spot and Ignis let go of the wheel, stretching his arms and fingers with a deep sigh.

“Driving around the whole day almost counts as a workout,” he said with a somewhat tired voice.

“I can drive tomorrow,” Prompto offered, basically jumping out from the car and stretching his body like a cat, inhaling the fresh sea air.

“Only if you go to bed early and won’t be tired behind the wheel tomorrow,” Ignis noted.

Gladio was seemingly disappointed when they voted for a hotel night over camping, but he was promised that there would be other times, other nights, which they would spend in nature, sleeping in a tent. It did spark something in Gladio’s eyes and his short lasting bad mood was gone immediately. Noctis’s eyes stared longingly at the fishing spot, but Ignis practically forced him to go to bed.This time he didn’t even argue. No matter how badly Noctis did want to catch some fish and cast his worries away with his hobby, today he was just too tired to do so. Meeting so many new people and acting out the royal role he was supposed to be able to keep up with everyone was taxing to Noctis.

“Can we agree on not meeting so many women in one go?” he whined hopelessly as they walked towards the inn. He was dragging his feet and his black hair stuck out funnily after the windy car drive.

“Should we meet men instead?” Gladio smirked and made Noctis only groan as a reply.

“I assumed you’d want this mission to be over with as soon as possible, but if you like we can tone down the pace of the meetings,” Ignis said softly, his eyes compassionate as he watched tired Noctis. “My apologies.”

“Nah, it’s good,” Noctis waved his hand. “Order me some food from the chef and we’re even.”

“Oh, for me, too!” Prompto was skipping around as soon as food was mentioned.

“I wouldn’t mind some dinner, either,” Gladio agreed Noctis and Prompto.

“Very well. Let’s check in first and I’ll make the order then. Gladio, I’ll need your help with them. It’s so late that the room service isn’t available anymore, so we need to fetch the food from the counter ourselves,” Ignis turned his attention to Gladio. He shrugged back.

“As long as I get my stomach full.”

Ignis led them to the check-in counter, handled the check-in and guided the group into their room. Noctis’s and Gladio’s faces dropped when they saw the room.

“They only have two double beds here…” Gladio almost growled. Ignis only hummed, pleased.

“By all means, we could get a room with four single beds if we earn the money for it ourselves first. Mind you, this isn’t the cheapest lodging place and as the guardians of the prince we’re using tax payers’ money. Thus we take the cheapest option with the bed arrangement.”

Gladio’s face darkened but he got the drift.

“Fine. I’ll go hunt some monsters later.”

“We have a budget, but it’s a good idea to earn some extra cash and use whatever we have wisely,” Ignis kept lecturing both Gladio and Noctis. “Besides, we’ve been planning to share a scrawny little tent together whenever we’ll be camping outside– which I assume will be quite a lot – and not to mention the caravan lodging spots with tiny sleeping areas and the----“

“Fine, fine. This is fine. I don’t mind sharing. Just, surprised,” Noctis jumped on one of the beds, sighing as his aching backside connected with the softness of the bed.

“I’m taking this with Noct!” Prompto yelled, jumping after Noctis on the bed and landing on his stomach with such a force that Noctis bounced upwards. They laughed at the bouncing.

“…Like babysitting…” Gladio murmured frustrated.

“If we are the parents, we better go get some food for the kids,” Ignis patted Gladio’s shoulder.

“No vegetables for me!” Noctis informed Ignis, but he had already turned his back at him, completely ignoring Noctis’s demand. He knew Ignis did that on purpose.

The door clicked softly after Ignis and Gladio, and he kept listening with Prompto as the footsteps distanced. A silence fell into the room and Noctis stretched out with a full yawn, pushing hands behind his head.

“Noct,” Prompto crept closer to Noctis and laid on his side, leaning his head against his palm. “Do you think this trip is going to take long?”

“I dunno,”, he replied with a sigh, “Why?”

“Just wondering. This land is rather big,” Prompto replied, eyes cast down.

Noctis turned his head toward Prompto, watching how he was again searching for something to say. He chuckled.

“Come on, if you have something on your mind, tell me,” he urged Prompto softly.

Prompto’s chin rose, his eyes locking with Noctis's, his expression surprised. It was only now that Noctis noticed for the first time how long Prompto’s eyelashes were. How beautiful and almost elegant. Quickly Noctis averted his eyes to somewhere else, pondering why he noticed such a detail now. Maybe it was the fact Prompto was so close to him that their elbows were almost touching each other.

“Ah, it’s nothing, really,” Prompto smiled sheepishly. “I just really, really don’t like daemons. I’m afraid we’ll come across them a lot.”

“We won’t, if we don’t travel at night time,” Noctis assured his friend. “And if we did, you’d have us. All three of us. I’ll be watching your back, I promise.”

Prompto’s eyes widened, his pale eyebrows rising so high up that Noctis was sure he had never seen such a surprised look on anyone’s face before. But before he got to ask what was it, Prompto was howling with laughter, rolling on his back and holding his stomach.

“Bro!” Prompto laughed, hiccupping, “I’ll take a pic for you, it lasts longer.”

A hot flush rushed up to Noctis’s face and immediately he bounced up to sit. Damn, had he been staring at Prompto’s face in a strange way?

“I… It’s not that funny,” Noctis stuttered, not knowing why Prompto was laughing.

“Yes it is,” Prompto kept laughing widely, “I promise, your highness, that you are the only who will get the privilege to stare at my ass freely.”

Dumfounded, it took a second for Noctis to figure out what was going on, but then he also burst into chuckles, and Prompto’s howling laughter encouraged the chuckle to turn into full blown laughter. Soon, both of them were laughing from the bottom of their stomach on the bed.

“It’s wasn’t that funny!” Noctis protested again, but couldn’t stop his laughter.

“Bro, it was!” Prompto laughed back, his eyes moist. “From what angle do you want to watch me the best, oh Prince of Naught?”  
  
“Stop it!” Noctis hit Prompto on the shoulder, finally managing to calm down his breathing. It took a little longer from Prompto to calm down, but soon he was also catching his breath, his chest heaving up and down.

“Ah, that was good,” Prompto’s eyes opened and there was a bright spark in them. He turned his head towards Noctis, who was sitting next to him and smiled, his eyes sincere. “Thanks, buddy. I needed to let out some steam.”

“Yeah, me, too,” Noctis agreed with a tiny smile. “Especially after all the visitations we went through today.”

“I’m such a coward the idea of even seeing a daemon freaks me out. I try to act brave, but I really am not. Not with daemons,” Prompto admitted with a rather sad voice, his head turning away from Noctis.

“They freak me out too,” Noctis hummed, his face darkening. “They killed my mom. Almost got me, too.”

“Ah, shit, Noct! I’m sorry! I totally forgot!” Prompto cursed loudly, pushing his upper body up with his elbows.

“Nah, it’s good. It’s only that I don’t like daemons. I hate those things,” Noctis looked back at Prompto with narrowed eyes. “If I could, I’d kill every single one of them. Nothing good comes from daemons.”

Prompto chewed his lower lip thoughtfully, leaning his head forward.

“Yeah,” he breathed out, looking absently ahead. “Daemons are the worst.”

“No, you are the worst!” Noctis slapped Prompto on top of his head, taking the poor man off guard. “What’s the deal with you and Luna? I’ve never heard about that before, you sly man.”

Prompto looked honestly scared for a second, like Noctis had touched a sore spot, but then he smiled from ear to ear.

“Time for a bed time story, eh?” he laid back down on his back and looked at Noctis softly. “Luna gave me a new life.”

Noctis laid next to Prompto on his side, inspecting his face.

“Oh?” was the only thing he could come up with this suddenly.

“You know, I was really… really shy and awkward and lonely when I was a kid. I had no one. I was fat and miserable and my life… felt empty. How sad is that? It had barely even begun, and there I was, with nothing to lose as a kid,” Prompto spoke with a lightly shivering tone. “Then, one day, I saved this puppy. Poor little thing! I nursed it back to health and a long story short, turns out it was Lady Lunafreya’s dog.”

“Pryna!” Noctis breathed out in a surprise.

“Yup, the very same! Luna sent me a letter telling that I must have been friends with you since I had nurtured Pryna back to health. But I wasn’t. I felt bad that Luna thought we were friends, that she was sort of counting on me. I didn’t know her, but I knew I didn’t want to let her down. Yet, I was too shy to speak to you properly.”

“Yeah, I do remember you from elementary school. You kept staring at me.”

A soft blush appeared on Prompto’s freckled cheeks and he sighed deeply.

“Well, it was scary to be in a presence of royalty…” Prompto fidgeted, still blushing. “Anyway, I decided that since I couldn’t let this Lunafreya down, I should become a person worthy of Prince Noctis’s friendship. I turned my life around and well, here I am now. Sharing a bed with his Highness. Never thought it would happen,” he smiled, looking so happy Noctis couldn’t help his own lips from curving upwards.

“I’m glad we met,” he said in all honesty, “but you wouldn’t have needed to change, not for me. For me you would have been good enough. You still are. Prompto is Prompto, no matter what,” he said, not knowing where those words even came from, but he meant every one of them.

Prompto’s eyebrows twisted upwards and his blue eyes glimmered forlornly.

“Aaw, man. That warms my heart. You know, I’m not really good at anything, like I said, and I don’t know how I can help you with this Divine Mission, but I plan to do my best nevertheless. So, if there’s anything I can do for you, let me know. Thanks for being my friend, Noct,” Prompto whispered, staring staring at Noctis with such sincerity Noctis had to turn his head away.

“I will. And if there’s anything I can do for you, don’t hesitate to tell me. We’re friends,” Noctis nodded with an encouraging pat on Prompto’s head. He chuckled at the touch.

“I’ll do my best,” Prompto said, sounding determined.

“Thanks for coming with me on this stupid mission,” Noctis thanked Prompto, but his words came out more like a frustrated moan than a proper expression of gratitude.

“It was a surprise, but I still think it’s a kinda cool mission,” Prompto placed his hands behind his head and threw his leg over his bent knee, swinging his boot in a carefree manner. “How cool is it to think that out there, somewhere, there’s this person assigned to you by the Astrals themselves. A real lover. Someone you immediately click with when you meet and the love itself isn’t any struggle. No matter what the couple faces, they rise above it with the power of their love. How wonderful and ah, so utterly romantic,” Prompto said in an admiring tone, his eyes cast up to the wooden ceiling.

“I’m not sure it will be that easy… or that mushy,” Noctis wasn’t really buying Prompto’s positivism about the matter.

Prompto’s head swung to Noctis’s side.

“Dude, have you missed all your fairytales when you were a kid? There’s always this same pattern; two lovers, bound by destiny – some call it a red string of fate – find each other, usually after a little struggle, and then they live happy ever after. So, I wouldn’t worry about the struggling you’re probably going to face with this wife hunt. It’s just part of the fairy tale deal,” he said with such convincing manner Noctis had to admit that there was a point there. All the love stories he had heard always did have the beginning, falling in love, struggle and then finally the happy end. Yet, his lower lip pouted out.

“I wish we could skip straight to the happy ending.”

“Nah, that would be super boring,” Prompto disagreed, amused.

Gladio and Ignis returned, trays full of steaming bowls and glasses and bottles. The amazing scent of food filled the air instantly and both of the boys jumped up from the bed, rushing towards Ignis and Gladio.

“Food, food, food, food!” Prompto was singing, swaying his upper body happily from side to side.

“Food!” Noctis accompanied him with a sharp shout.

Ignis just sighed.

“Have you washed your hands?” he asked.

“No, mom,” came from Noctis.

“Then go,” Gladio said, placing the food on the table from the trays.

“Yes, dad,” Prompto saluted Gladio, earning a sharp glare and unclear, displeased muttering under his breath from Gladio.

“We need to wash our hands too,” Ignis said.

“Uh, you guys go ahead. I need to use the toilet anyway,” Prompto said, dreamily staring at the bowls of rice, beef sauce and steamed vegetables on the table.

As the necessary pre-late dinner rituals had been performed, the group dug into the food with a good appetite. Prompto decided to hit the shower quickly afterwards. Noctis was already undressing himself and crawling under the duvet.

“At least they’ve got double duvets,” he muttered tiredly, yawning and spreading his yawn to Gladio, who also looked like he was ready to crash.

“As long as we get to sleep in beds, I’m fine with anything,” Ignis took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes, looking exhausted. “I’ll take a shower after Prompto. Gladio, you can go to bed already.”

“Nah, I think I’ll read a bit,” he said despite his yawn, scratching his neck lazily, “Do I set an alarm?”

“Please.”

“At nine?”

“The breakfast closes at eleven so I think that’s fine,” Ignis replied.

“Yay, more food,” Noctis muttered eyes half closed under the duvet, which he had pulled up to his ears. His clothes and shoes were scattered around the bed, much to Ignis’s displeasure. Yet, Ignis didn’t say anything, just readied himself for his shower when Prompto stepped out from the bathroom in his boxers, drying his hair hastily with a white towel.

“Oh, man, I ate so much I almost fell asleep under the shower,” he groaned.

“Better hit the bed before Noctis hoards the whole thing for himself,” Gladio pointed in Noctis’s direction.

“I heard that,” Noctis mumbled, but didn’t move a muscle.

“Nah, we’re buddies. We share everything. Right, Noct?”

“Hmmmm….” the tired hum came from Noctis’s direction.

To be honest, Noctis was more tired than he had thought. Stomach full of Galdin Quay’s kitchen’s delicious creations the sleep seemed to arrive faster, heavier, pulling Noctis’s eyes closed. He didn’t resist the lulling invitation of the dream lands, but buried himself only deeper under the warm duvet. He heard how someone switched the smaller lamp on instead of the bright ceiling light and he assumed it was probably Gladio with his book. The man was always reading something. Either classic novels, memoirs of great historical persons or Playboy magazines. He pondered what it was this time, but couldn’t concentrate on it more. He felt exhausted, too tired to even think.

“Move, you hoarder.”

A nudge on his back snapped Noctis awake. Grumpily he shifted so that Prompto could pull his own duvet from underneath Noctis. Prompto dropped on the bed with a deep sigh and yawned.

“Good night, guys. My lights are going out any second.”

Gladio and Noctis replied to Prompto in unison and soon only soft snoring was heard from Noctis and Prompto’s bed, both of the guys fast asleep.

 

 ------------------------------------------

 

Noctis woke up in the night, because he was feeling somehow uncomfortable. When he tried to move, he could only move his head a little and the culprit was just next to him. Or halfway on top of him, snoring peacefully. The light from the tall windows, cast in by the pier lights, illuminated sleeping Prompto’s face and Noctis didn’t have the heart to wake him up, though he had planned to. Instead, he shifted on his back as well as he could. It startled Prompto and he sat up, eyes dazed and hair messy.

“Go to your own side of the bed,” Noctis whispered, careful not to wake up Ignis or Gladio. He turned on his back, feeling a bit bad he had actually woken Prompto up.

“Uh-huh,” Prompto snorted with a rather loud tone and swayed a bit back and forth, finally laying down on the bed and on his own side. Soon soft puffing was heard as Prompto was asleep again.

Noctis sighed and closed his eyes pushing his hands behind his head under the pillow. He was just about to drift back to sleep when Prompto murmured something, turning around and sitting up slowly.

“Prompto?” Noctis hissed softly, but didn’t get any reply for a while.

“Hmm…” Prompto finally smacked sleepily and proceeded to flop back to the bed landing miserably on top of Noctis. His head hit Noctis’c collarbone and he winced in pain, suppressing the yelp.

“Son of a ---“ he cursed at his throbbing shoulder taking an angry look at Prompto. From what he could see Prompto’s face looked peaceful and calm, despite that he was snoring in an unsightly way with mouth wide open. His had thrown his arm over Noctis’s chest, their legs tangled at the ankles completely unaware of his surroundings.

“…Fine,” Noctis gave up, thinking it was perhaps better just to let Prompto sleep. Especially when he was supposed to drive them to the next bridal option tomorrow.

He would talk with him about this tomorrow.


	4. Mollis-Mel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Noctis meets The Lapis Family with a pebble in his shoe.

”There’s a pebble in my shoe…”

“Just suck it up.”

Gladio’s quick shush at Noctis’s direction at the front door of yet another possible bride’s manor didn’t soothe Nostic’s mind, nor did it take away the annoying little pebble from underneath his heel. This time, three weeks after their non-stop bride search with no free days, Noctis found himself in front of an archduke Dignus Lapis, who had already heard that the Prince of Lucis was on his Divine Mission to search for his queen. The archduke warmly welcomed the Insomnian travelers into his manor, the archduchess Laus Lapis serenely guiding them further inside.    

“We’re most excited that the Prince of Lucis is considering marrying our oldest daughter Mollis-Mel,” Mrs. Lapis’s soft voice danced elegantly in the tall hallway’s walls.

“We heard from a broadcast that the Prince was dispatched on his Divine Mission regarding a marriage, and while we didn’t hear any official announcement of the Prince finishing their journey yet, we were assuming that Your Highness must be still on his way,” Mr. Lapis added to her words

Noctis pushed his shoulders back and lifted his chin up, just like Gladio had advised at the beginning of this trip, and took a polite look at the archduke.

“I’m hoping this will be the final stop of my Divine Mission,” he said.

“We have heard a lot of good about Miss. Lapis,” Ignis added, clearly a lie there. They had not much prior information on this specific woman, except name, age, photo, address and names of her parents.

“Mollis-Mel is very wise for her age and stunningly beautiful, even if I say it myself,” the archduke smiled proudly, his wife nodding softly next to him.

“I can’t wait to meet her,” Noctis replied, butterflies rampaging in his stomach. He really didn’t like the formal meetings, nor did he enjoy this mission the slightest. It still made no sense to him, but he sucked it up, like he did with the annoying little pebble, which had now moved underneath the ball of his foot. Sleeping outside was lousy and dirty and it got sand and stones in every part in his clothes and shoes. He just wanted to crash into a bed at this very instant.

Tall heavy golden decorated doors opened slowly, and the archduke with his wife gestured them further in. Inside there was a fair, young woman, sitting in a chair, and when she saw Noctis and his group, she stood up quickly and curtseyed deeply in her pure white gown.

“Your Highness,” her voice was very thin and beautiful, and when Noctis bowed back at her, she lifted her chin up, revealing her most compelling face. She was beautiful, graceful, the most wonderful of all the women Noctis had met so far, and she radiated something warm and gentle, something which made Noctis feel at ease.

“Please, Your Highness, take a seat,” archduke requested, pointing at one of the elegant, soft chairs. Noctis accepted the chair, sitting down slowly. Prompto stayed behind near the doorframe, far away from the center of the events, while Ignis and Gladio filled their roles as the prince’s guardians and stood next to Noctis. Gladio had his hands behind his back, his stare stoic and completely focused at the opposite wall. Ignis’s posture was a bit more relaxed, being ready to aid Noctis with small talk if a need arose. Archduke also took a seat with his wife, their faces warm and sunny.

“This is our oldest daughter, Mollis-Mel Lapis, our pride and joy. She speaks four languages fluently, plays piano and violin, is an excellent hunter with a bow and also enjoys fishing,” Mrs. Lapis introduces Mollis-Mel to Noctis, whose eyes brightened.

“Fishing?” he asked, amazed.

“Well, it is a bit of a silly hobby for a noble woman…” Mollis-Mel replied quickly, but Noctis chuckled with a shake of his head.

“It’s fine. I happen to be an avid fisherman myself, too”, he said, feeling relaxed to know there was at least some subject he could talk about naturally with her.

“Oh, that’s very wonderful news, My Lord,” Mollis-Mel breathed out, pleased. Her parents also looked very pleased about this revelation.

“Then you have got something in common together. Maybe we should leave you two to talk about fishing in peace?” archduke suggested with a wink.

Noctis took a look at Ignis, silently asking his advice. Ignis straightened his back, his voice clear and loud.

“I think that would please His Highness, as well as Miss Lapis.”

Mollis-Mel’s face was almost beaming at her father’s suggestion and she turned to Noctis’s side, smiling.

“Whatever His Highness decides,” she left the decision for Noctis.

“Fine by me,” Noctis replied, happy to know this bride option wasn’t just a pretty young woman at his age, but she also seemed to be down to Earth with her hobbies. The longer Noctis looked at her, the more at ease and better he felt. There was something soothing about her presence and Noctis already liked that calming sensation. Almost like being around Luna.

The two of them were left behind in the fancily decorated tall room to speak in peace without eavesdroppers, while the rest of Noctis’s group was asked to follow the manor’s owners to a tea room and have some refreshments. Archduchess informed Noctis and Mollis-Mel that their tea with tea cakes would be served to this room, so that they could relax in peace in each other’s company.

Noctis and Mollis-Mel talked together for a half an hour before the beautifully steaming afternoon tea with oven fresh tea cakes arrived. They continued to talk some more while eating, mostly about their passion, fishing: What they had caught and where, differences between different fishing equipment and brands, fishing dreams and worst case fishing scenarios they had encountered. Turned out Miss Lapis was a very talented fisherwoman, who dreamed about the same fishing spots as Noctis did, and whose favorite brands were the same as Noctis’s. It was easy for Noctis to throw himself into a such familiar topic. Their conversation was lighthearted, fun and easy, far from etiquette ruled small talk, and Noctis was happy about it. So very happy. To find some stranger to have a wonderful chat with, so wonderful, that when there was a knock on the door and the archduchess’s head was peeking inside, they heard they had been talking non-stop for two hours.

“Your Highness, my husband would like to show you around the manor’s lands, if that interests You Highness,” she asked politely.

“I would love to. Thank you for your hospitality, Madam.” Then he stood up from the chair, Miss Lapis following him. Noctis turned around to bow at her. “I had a most pleasant time, Miss Lapis,” he thanked her sincerely.

“It was all my pleasure, Your Highness,” Mollis-Mel curtseyed back at him, her head bowed down until Noctis had straightened his back.

Noctis was guided outside the room to the hallway by the archduchess, who advised Noctis to go upstairs to the second floor and then turn right and go all the way to the third door on the left, which was Archduke Lapis’s hunting room with both his trophies and Mollis-Mel’s achievements. Noctis wouldn’t be able to leave until he had admired these trophies the archduke was so proud of, that what he was told by Mrs. Lapis with a very apologetic look on her face.

Noctis followed the long wooden stairs upwards, pondering where his companions were. Gladio was in front of Noctis in an instant as he arrived to the second floor, fulfilling his position as a bodyguard flawlessly.

“I’m going to accompany you on this stroll, whether the archduke likes it or not,” he told Noctis with a low voice, getting a nod as a reply.

“You’re just doing your job, like you’re supposed to. Where’s Ignis and Prompto?”

“Ignis is talking with the archduke right now and Prompto… Well, I’m not sure where he went, perhaps back to the car or maybe he went to look for a toilet,” Gladio sounded rather unsure with his guesses.

“He doesn’t handle these situations that well with his nerves or stomach,” Noctis had to give that much to Prompto for being just a mere citizen. “As long as he’s alive, we’re good. He doesn’t have to participate in any of these meetings anyway.”

They walked together to the trophy room, where Ignis was listening calmly to the archduke’s explanations of his different kills from exotic hunting trips. Altissia, Tenebrae, Nifelheim… he had been basically everywhere with his gun. When Archduke Lapis noticed Noctis and Gladio arriving, he bowed down with a smile.

“Your Highness, I take it that my wife told You how much it would please me if your Highness joined me on a little walk around the manor’s gardens and fields?” he asked.

“Such a stroll would please me, too,” Noctis answered, like he was supposed to.

“Splendid, Your Highness.”

But like archduchess had warned, they were unable to start their walk until Archduke Lapis had told the same stories he had told to Ignis once more, underlining the success of his daughter with multiple photos and trophies Mollis-Mel had earned with her skills, especially in fishing. By the time they got to the gardens, the sun was making its way slowly down to the horizon. Ignis had stayed behind, promising to look for Prompto, while Gladio and Noctis joined the evening stroll with the archduke. He rambled and rambled and talked and talked, so much that Noctis barely got any chances to comment anything back – which he was sort of glad about, but at the same time just listening archduke’s monologue did tire Noctis tremendously. The archduke spent an exceptionally long time telling how his family has been farming the finest of the finest of Terminus bushes, which kept daemons away and also made the most delicious seasoning for baking. He kept strolling around from one bush to another and pointing out all the bushes in the distance framing the manor’s lands. To Noctis they looked just regular green bushes and he prayed in his mind he’d get so sit soon, as the rascal pebble was abrading a blister on his sole.

Noctis couldn’t tell how long they had wandered around the manor’s lands, but by the time they finally arrived back to the front yard after the stroll which had almost driven him and Gladio insane, the late evening had fallen over them with strong blackness, only the bright lights around the manor’s land keeping daemons at bay with the help of the finest of the Terminus bushes.

“Oh dear, it is getting very late,” the archduke looked surprised, like he had just landed back from his stories on the solid ground, to this present moment. “I don’t want to sound rude, Your Highness, but You are most welcome to stay the night at our humble manor with Your travelling companions. Please, I insist."

He was facing Noctis and Gladio, his eyes eager. When Noctis couldn’t find the answer to whether they would stay or not fast enough, Gladio spoke up.

“The roads are dangerous at night, Your Highness.”

“Hmm… You are right. It is indeed better if we stay here. I apologize for the intrusion, Mr. Lapis and thank you for your hospitality.”

“Oh, most wonderful news. Our servants will have bedrooms made ready in no time,” the archduke was delighted by Noctis’s approval of his suggestion.

Inside the manor Mollis-Mel was waiting for them, her face radiating happily when she saw Noctis.

“Welcome back, Your Highness,” she immediately curtseyed him with such an elegant manner she looked like a ballet dancer.

“Thank you, Miss. Lapis,” Noctis bowed back.

Next to him the archduke chuckled slightly, asking his daughter to call servants to make the bedrooms ready. One of the servants was hurrying from the opposite direction, stopping mechanically in front of Mr. Lapis with a slight bow.

“Sir, the late dinner is ready.”

“Wonderful, absolutely great timing,” archduke rejoiced, placing his palm on Noctis’s back. “Your Highness, I apologize that I have taken so much of Your time today. Please, join us at the dinner table and after that You may withdraw into Your bedchamber.”

“With pleasure.”

The long dining  table was full of different types of roasted meat on silver plates and pots, with Leiden potatoes cooked in five different ways. Bottles of the finest wines stood in a row across the table between the crystal glasses and the elegant utensils shone so brightly under the chandeliers like was like they had a light source of their own. As Noctis was guided to the honor seat, he noticed that Ignis was entering the room, but Prompto was nowhere to be seen. He didn’t have chance to ask about it, but after everyone had been gathered on their rightful seats – everyone except Prompto – the archduke turned to Ignis’s side.

“Isn’t the last of your traveling companions joining us?” he leaned closer to Ignis over the table.

Ignis adjusted his glasses calmly.

“Unfortunately it seems one of us has gotten slightly sick and needs to rest,” he spoke calmly.

Noctis’s attention was immediately peaked when he heard about Prompto being sick.

“Is he alright?” he hurried. Ignis gave Noctis a soothing look.

“Nothing to be concerned about, Your Highness.”

“Our servants are looking after Your companion, Your Highness. We have given him medicine and he should be fine by the morning,” Mollis-Mel bend over the table to speak in Noctis’s direction.

Noctis turned his head back to Ignis, and something in his eyes told him silently that the faster they could handle this dinner, the sooner they would also be free from archduke’s attention and get to see Prompto face to face. Noctis didn’t have much appetite anymore, yet at the same time he wanted to gobble everything from his plate up as fast as a lightning and run out from the dining room – what he actually did at home. Either gobbling or, more often, nibbling and moving his food around with a fork to find something which would please his picky taste buds.  He knew Prompto was prone to get stomach problems, but leaving him alone with whatever illness had caught the best of him, in an unknown house, was somehow unnerving to Noctis. He was pretty sure that Ignis read his mind about the matter, as he managed to speak very alluringly and cunningly to archduke to let them go to sleep a lot sooner than the archduke had clearly planned himself.  As soon as they got to leave the dining room behind, Noctis just wanted to rush upstairs, but he had to follow the servant showing them their bedrooms. Everyone was given their own room, which sparkled something serious in Gladio’s eyes, and politely thanking the servant for the help he asked the group to go to see Prompto together - To get them into one place. The servant guided them to Prompto’s room, bidding the trio goodnight.

Noctis was so, so, so relieved when the door shut behind them and he could drop the royal’s role off. Gladio locked the door, just in case, and turned to speak with Noctis, but he had already spurted to Prompto’s bed side.

“Hi, buddy,” he patted Prompto’s head and croakily Prompto turned on his back, his face pale yet happy to see his friends.

“Hi, Noct,” he groaned, forehead sweaty.

“Oh man, what’s wrong with you?” Gladio had also arrived next to Prompto’s bed, looking genuinely worried.

Prompto tried to laugh but it came out as baby chocobo’s croaks.  

“Nothing to worry about. Just upset stomach and cramps. Must have been the tea cakes,” he replied, looking like he was aching really badly.

“Should we take you to a hospital?” Noctis’s face had the deepest, longest frown on it, but Prompto shook his head.

“No need to. I have had these kind of stomach issues before, when I was a kid. Nothing unusual or dangerous, just like… hasn’t happened in a long time. Just need to get my energy back… I’m always so tired when this happens.”

“Poor Prompto,” Noctis hummed tenderly, patting his flattened hair slowly. “I’ll stay here tonight. It’s not a good idea to leave you alone like that.”

“I must agree,” Ignis crossed his arms, cutting Prompto off when he opened his mouth to protest. “I saw you howling in pain and shaking due the cramps. This is a clear case of an allergic reaction, similar to a food poisoning.”

“Yeah, I thought the food probably had some ingredient which I have an intolerance to and I haven’t had since childhood.”

“Like peanuts or shrimps?” Gladio sat at the end of the Prompto’s bed, Noctis taking the comfortable looking chair next to Prompto.

“Uh-huh,” Prompto agreed.

“Those things can kill you if you are badly allergic. Good thing it wasn’t worse than this,” Ignis said, sitting down on the other side of the bed’s edge.

Prompto’s face twisted in discomfort.

“To be honest, when the cramps were really bad, I wished I’d been dead instead,” his lower lip quivered.

Looking at Prompto’s utterly tired face and his exhausted body, Noctis couldn’t help but feel horribly sorry for him, all the way from the bottom of his stomach. He’d gladly stay awake or sleep in the chair to make sure everything was fine with Prompto.

Suddenly, Prompto’s eyes widened and he jumped to sit, startling everyone.

“What, what?!” Noctis shrieked, scared Prompto was going to have some seizure.

“Oh God, Noct! I almost forgot from this pain!” he breathed out, his voice becoming shaky. “I spoke with Miss Mollis-Mel.”

“And?” Noctis’s eyebrow cocked slowly.

“No, let me start from the beginning,” Prompto whispered, pulling his legs closer to his body and inviting everyone to sit around him, as close as possible. Noctis leaned closer to Prompto, his arm snaking around his neck, other one capturing Ignis’s neck, while Gladio was face to face with Prompto.

“I was looking for a toilet after the tea serving, and I happened to hear Mrs. Lapis and Miss Mollis-Mel talking,” he spoke with a barely audible voice, “Or it wasn’t talking, it was Mrs. Lapis almost yelling at her daughter, her voice very angry. She said that Miss Mollis-Mel better capture Prince Noctis or else…!”

“Or else?” Ignis repeated the word, a skeptical expression on his face. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, yes!” Prompto hissed with furious nod, as furious as he was able to summon up in his current state of health. “I eavesdropped and apparently this household is broke as – excuse my Tenebrean – shit. They plan to get their daughter married to Noctis for the money and reputation, no matter what, and I’m afraid they won’t let us go until Noctis proposes…” his voice was shivering.

Gladio let out an angry grunt, gritting his teeth.

“If that’s true, they are fools if they think I’d let them have their way with Noct as they please,” he growled, cracking his knuckles.

“I swear it is,” Prompto squeaked.

Ignis’s hand landed quickly on angered Gladio’s palm.

“Wait, we can’t go bashing in nobles’ heads. That will be an international scandal and all the blame will fall on Noct’s shoulders,” he reasoned, calming Gladio down a little. But just a little. His brown eyes were flaming in a way it left no questions unanswered whether he would guard Noctis with his life or not.

“Those fucking bastards,” Noctis cursed. “Did they try to poison us with those cakes, too?”

“Hardly so, otherwise we all would have symptoms. This time it’s honestly just Prompto’s bad luck with his stomach. However, we need to be cautious. I have no reason not to believe Prompto.  We need to figure out a way to shut down this plan of theirs without scandals,” Ignis said.

“Could we represent Miss Lapis to Shiva and get affirmation from the Astral herself, whether it would be a yes or a no?” Gladio asked.

“No, for that we would need to travel back home and do the Divine Mission Clearance Ceremony, and if we bring in a wrong girl, it will be mission failed and no crown for me,” Noctis muttered, his eyes focused down while he was thinking feverishly.

“What do we do?” Prompto whined, wincing then in pain and letting go of the guys, laying down on his side, face to Noctis. His calming hand landed on Prompto’s head.

“We’ll figure something out,” he soothed Prompto.

“You said you spoke with Miss Lapis, yes? Clear that one up a bit, please,” Ignis murmured with a low voice.

“Yeah, I sorta did. When the archduchess was gone, I made sure no one else was in the room where we came first, and I asked for a toilet and then asked if she was alright, because she looked sad. I never said I heard anything. But then later,” he stopped, eyes widening, “She brought me medicine instead of a servant and told me, for some strange reason, that she needs our help.”

“…Did she mean it as ‘Help me out’ or ‘Help me to marry Noct’?” Gladio leaned against his palm thoughtfully.

“I don’t know. She couldn’t stay as the servants were fussing that the lady of the house shouldn’t take care of anyone here and quickly shooed her out. I couldn’t see her after that with this allergic reaction.”

“Could it be that the lady of the house isn’t interested in the marriage at all, but works only as a pawn of her parents?” Ignis rubbed his chin, a dark shadow over his face.

Everyone’s chins dropped down in a unison.

“Could be. It’s nothing unusual for parents to use their kids as mere pieces to achieve their own goals,” Gladio grunted with a disgusted tone.

“Poor girl…” Prompto sighed out, his face entirely sad, eyes closed tightly together. “To be used like that…”

“We’ll settle this somehow,” Noctis declared, taking a determined look at everyone. “If the girl is in trouble, we’ll help her. If she’s part of the plan, we’ll squirm ourselves out from this net somehow, before it tightens. For now, I suggest we go to sleep, so that I can finally take my shoes off and throw the little, frigging pebble out of my shoe, and so that Prompto can get his spirit back by tomorrow morning.”

“It’s a good idea to lock the door behind us,” Gladio pointed at the golden lock. “Just in case. If this family has nothing to lose and everything to gain, they can be a bad opponent. Desperate people do desperate things.”

“Let us hope it’s not that bad,” Ignis sighed, but the worry in his eye betrayed his calmness. “Gladio, should we also share a room?”

“I think we’ll be good. We can defend ourselves, if needed. It’s Prompto here who needs a baby sitter.”

“I’m sorry,” Prompto sobbed.

“No need to. I’ll stay here like promised. They wouldn’t want to hurt their best option back to fortune, the heir of Lucis, if they turned out to be such vile people,” Noctis spoke calmly to Prompto, getting a tiny nod in return.

“To think that we’d end up with scammers…” Ignis took a very, very deep breath. “We must be more careful in the future. It was foolish of me not to consider that the news of the future king looking for a wife would bring out gold diggers, a far before any magazine worthy only for wiping one’s behind would start to spread any rumors.”

“Don’t blame yourself,” Gladio sounded very compassionate as he patted Ignis’s back. “Let’s go to sleep and think this over more tomorrow. We have time to come up with a plan, as supposedly the archduke isn’t letting us go any time soon. Noct, you just play your part as the clueless prince and act all polite and kind around Ms. Lapis, until we know what her part is and what our next move is.”

“She could very well be the, ah, damsel in distress,” Prompto had some energy to gasp out a dreamy sigh.  Everyone’s silently agreed with Prompto’s theory, hoping they wouldn’t need to break Miss Lapis’s most elegant nose, if she went crazy desperate in attempts of fulfilling her parents’ plans.

They agreed to wake up tomorrow around the same time as the rest of the manor, and keep up the clueless façade as long as needed. They also agreed that Noctis wouldn’t be left alone with anyone any longer, not even with Miss Lapis. For now, they would put Prompto’s healing to top priority, because Ignis reasoned that as Prompto had had an encounter with Mollis-Mel already, she might open up to Prompto – accidentally or voluntarily –more easily than to the prince. There was some advantage to being just an ordinary citizen and the friend of the prince at the same time.

After Ignis and Gladio had withdrawn into their bedrooms and Noctis had locked the door behind them, he threw his shoes as far away as possible, kissing the tiny pebble goodbye for good, and sat in the chair. Prompto was still pale, and feverish.

“Man, I’m cold all of a sudden,” he muttered. Noctis only smiled at him brotherly.

“It means you’re getting better. Take your clothes off and get under the duvet.”

“Yeah, I hate sleeping with all my clothes on. Boxers or no for the win,” he mumbled, sitting up, and started slowly undressing himself with huffs and puffs.

“With boxers, please,” Noctis’s replied jokingly.

Prompto pulled the heavy bed cover off and slipped under the duvet with clattering teeth.

“I’ll be watching after you, so don’t hesitate to ask if you need something. I’ve got Ignis’s tiny travel sized first aid kit with me.”

“You’re a life saver. I forgot my stomach medicine in the car,” Prompto half-sobbed.

“Is the pain easing at all?”

“Yeah, it’s almost gone now. I’m just completely exhausted from everything. I’m sorry.”

“No sweat, soldier. Go get some sleep.”

Prompto’s eyes fixated on Noctis.

“You aren’t sleeping?” he looked concerned.

“I’ll see if I catch some on this chair,” Noctis patted at his chair’s armrest casually, but Prompto didn’t like the idea.

“Dude,” Prompto’s tired eyes widened. “You can’t sleep on that. Come lie next to me. There’s plenty of room here.”

“I don’t know, what if the archduchess herself catches us sleeping together under the same duvet,” Noctis stopped dramatically, “with nothing but boxers on?”

“Well, it could work in our advantage in ‘How to get rid of the scam bride’-side quest,” Prompto sneered mischievously.

Noctis had to laugh at the thought and admit that it was, indeed, a rather fair point. He undressed himself and joined Prompto under the eiderdown, Prompto’s tired sigh washing over his face.

“Thanks for staying behind with me, Noct,” Prompto opened his blue eyes and stared at Noct keenly. “It’s horrible to be alone when you’re not feeling well… You’re such a good friend.”

His eyes had such a deep sincerity in them Noctis got a feeling that Prompto was talking about something else than today’s stomach problem, something he didn’t know about. Was it about his childhood, perhaps? Hadn’t Prompto been alone then, quite a lot? Actually, now that Noctis thought about it, Prompto had never mentioned anything about his parents. Not that Noctis would have even asked such a thing himself, it didn’t occur to Noctis to go prodding into anyone’s private life, past, present or future. It felt rude and it wasn’t his business anyway.

“What are you thinking?”

Prompto’s whisper was barely audible. Noctis’s eyes captured Prompto’s tired but direct gaze easily.

“Eh, nothing. Just feeling sorry for your tummy,” he replied casually, pulling the edge of the eiderdown up to his ear.

“My tummy will be all right by tomorrow morning. Gotta eat something light at first. No Crow’s Nest’s fries for me for a while,” he smiled weakly.  Then a big, big yawn escaped from Prompto’s lips and he nuzzled himself deeper into the mattress.

“Good night, Noct. You’re the best,” he sighed sleepily, eyes closing.

Noctis had actually wanted to talk a bit more about Lapis’s family with Prompto, but he only chuckled slightly, padded Prompto’s back of a hand with a tiny smile lingering at the corner of his lips.

“You, too. Good night.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again for your support, kudos and comments. It's always a pleasure to talk with you.  
> Thank you also for ChronicProcrastinator for proofreading this chapter!
> 
> I have started Chapter 5 but I'm not sure when I can actually finish it, as I'm also working with Promptis doujinshi right now and getting ready to leave to Japan next month for a short trip to see a friend.


	5. Mollis-Mel's Truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again for your support, kudos and comments! I got inspiration and time, so here's chapter 5 :3 Chapter 6 is on its way.  
> Thank you also for ChronicProcrastinator for proofreading this chapter!

The next morning started all according to the last night’s plan, but Prompto was still feeling somewhat under the weather. Thought he stated very clearly that he was alright, Noctis didn’t buy it. Yet, he didn’t feel like arguing about the matter with Prompto so he let it slide. He just told Prompto to let him know immediately if his condition turned worse and asked Ignis and Gladio to also keep their eyes on him. Prompto followed everyone to the breakfast table, having only a stomach for friendly tea and nibbling some Tenebraen oranges, which had been peeled for him and placed fancily on a very delicate plate. Gladio was a kind friend and fetched Prompto’s medicine from the car, which Prompto took at the table, apologizing with a shamed look for all the trouble he had caused for the archduke and archduchess. His apologies were brushed off casually and he was wished for better health by the archduchess herself.  
  
Unfortunately, Prompto’s body wasn’t agreeing with him in the way everyone was hoping for. Right after having the orange he excused himself from the table, dashing out. Ignis immediately stood up and followed Prompto outside.

“Oh dear. Our condolences for your companion’s health,” the archduchess looked at Noctis apologetically, her voice sincere. “I’ll ask the servants make him special herbal tea.”

“I apologize for the trouble, Ma’am. Thank you for your kindness,” Noctis thanked her but in the back of his head he pondered whether the Lapises were truly acting kind or using Prompto’s suddenly started stomach problems as an excuse to get under Noctis’s grace.

“I’m afraid we need to leave soon if our friend’s condition doesn’t get any better,” Gladio put Noctis’s quiet thoughts into word. Archduke Lapis just waved his palm in the air in a relaxed manner.

“I assure you, Your Highness, that with my wife’s famous herbal tea your friend’s stomach will be at ease in no time,” he said.

Noctis wasn’t so sure about it but he had to trust that Prompto knew what he was doing and if the situation got severe, Ignis would inform him about it. He finished with his breakfast as quickly as it was possible within the etiquette rules, and when neither Ignis nor Prompto were back by that time, he stood up with an apology, telling the Lapis family that he’d be checking out his friend’s condition. The Archduchess promised with a motherly smile to send the tea up to Prompto’s room immediately.

Gladio followed Noctis like a hawk out from the dining hall and towards the stairs leading to the second floor.

“That is a worse allergic reaction than we anticipated…” he murmured at Noctis.

“Yeah, seems like it….” he bit his lower lip anxiously.

“It’s possible his stomach can’t handle anything solid yet,” Gladio continued his murmuring

“Yeah…”

“I feel sorry for that guy. I’d hate to be in his shoes right now.”

When they reached Prompto’s bedroom, Ignis was sitting on the chair next to the bed with a book in his hand. Prompto had his eyes closed but when he heard footsteps he opened them smiling weakly at Noctis and Gladio.

“Oh, hey guys,” he greeted them with his weakened voice.

“How are you doing, buddy?” Noctis sat on the bed’s edge looking at Prompto’s pale face with a worried frown.

“Ugh, not so good. I kind of started to feel nauseous at the breakfast but nothing has come out,” he replied.

“I don’t remember that you’ve had an allergic reaction this bad before…” Noctis’s frown was deepening ever more, his hand rising up and landing on Prompto’s shoulder tenderly. “Should we see a nurse or someone?”

“No, it’s alright. Ignis gave me some herbal candy things,” Prompto nodded at Ignis’s direction. Ignis had closed his book onto his lap, his eyes narrow and lips pressed together into a tight line.

“Leiden peppers mixed with Aegil roots candies are good for soothing one’s stomach. I happen to always carry one package with me. I just hope they will do the trick,” Ignis murmured.

“Uuugh, you mean The Priestess’s Drops?” Noctis’s body shook visibly in disgust, his tongue pushing out to demonstrate just what he thought about those candies. “Prompto, I’m so, so sorry.”

“They’re not that bad,” Prompto was on Ignis’s side in this matter. 

“Anyway, the archduchess said she’s going to send some herbal tea to you, Prompto,” Gladio noted, getting a nod from Ignis instead of Prompto.

“Any help now is welcomed to get our Prompto back on his feet. You should drink it carefully, just in case it has got something which could upset your stomach again.”

“Thanks, Ignis.”

Like ordered, there was a knock on the door and a young female servant brought Prompto’s tea in, a small jar of honey and fancy tissues next to the tea pot and the porcelain cup on the silver tray. She poured the tea into the cup for Prompto and informed him that if the young master needed anything, he shouldn’t hesitate to call the servants. Then she curtseyed slightly and left the room.

Croakily Prompto sat up with Noctis’s help. He sighed, pleased at the scent of the tea, reaching for the cup.

“I suggest you stay in bed today. Rest properly. We can… proceed tomorrow,” Ignis chose his words carefully.

Prompto’s face dropped dramatically, his eyes casting down at the tea cup. His lower lip twitched.

“I’m sorry I’m so useless,” he whispered, taking a quick sip from the cup like trying to drown out whichever other words were about to come out from his lips. “I promise I’ll get better. It’s just… It’s almost like this place has something wrong with it…”

“What do you mean?” Noctis leaned closer to Prompto, his face almost touching Prompto’s cheek.

Prompto blinked hastily at Noctis’s sudden closeness, his lips parting. He blushed, ashamed.

“I don’t know,” he stuttered with a red face, “Something just feels off and seeing how you don’t seem to feel or sense anything makes me think it’s only in my head. That I’m tired, imagining things. You guys don’t sense anything?” It was clearly a subject he was afraid to talk about.

“Hmmm, I haven’t noticed anything unusual,” Ignis said, his arms crossing over his chest. “Maybe I haven’t looked carefully enough?”

“Trust me, if there was something to be seen, you’d seen it with those laser eyes,” Gladio pointed at Ignis with his finger. “Frankly, I haven’t seen or sensed anything either, except the archduke himself being a rather… big personality so to say.”

“He’s talkative and a bit … bossy alright,” Noctis agreed. “Sadly I can’t sense anything. Sorry, Promp.”

Prompto’s already sullen face saddened more and he nodded very slightly, his eyes half closed.

“I see. I’m sorry. It must be my imagination…” he whispered, bangs covering his eyes.

“It could be the land’s energetic Radius lines. They can affect very sensitive people, making them feel uneasy, restless or causing some minor health problems like headaches, sleepiness or the opposite, insomnia,” Ignis suggested tapping his chin thoughtfully.

“I’ve never gotten any symptoms from them,” Prompto whined sadly. “Anyway, sorry that I caused this mess and my body is against me now. Could we just…. forget this whole thing…?” he whispered.

“If it makes you feel better. But don’t keep any info from us. You tell us immediately if something changes, okay? You’re important part of this team. Friends stick together,” Noctis’s arm snaked over Prompto’s shoulder, shaking him softly in an encouraging manner.

Prompto’s lips curved into a tiny smile but he kept his eyes down at his drink.

“Yeah. Thanks, Noct.”

“Anyway, we need to keep an eye on you. I suggest I will stay behind with Prompto and you and Gladio handle the Lapis family. I’ll be at your assistance if you need me as Prompto doesn’t require constant surveillance,” Ignis adjusted his classes higher on the bridge of his nose.

“It’s a good idea. By splitting in two groups we might manage to find some more information more easily which can help us to determine if Miss Lapis needs our help or is part of the problem,” Gladio agreed without any hesitation.

“I can pretend I’m asleep and eavesdrop,” Prompto suggested trying to humor everyone despite the pained look on his face.

Noctis chuckled at Prompto, his arm still around his shoulders.

“You do that if an opportunity arises. Ignis is such a sly Coeurl he can dig up any information out of almost anything,” Noctis said, patting his slumped shoulders. Prompto smiled a bit.

“Your Highness is flattering me today. How rare,” Ignis voice rose up with a slight joke, said with a complete poker face.

They did as planned, Prompto and Ignis leaving behind while Noctis and Gladio went on their way to entertain the Lapis family the best way they could. Prompto’s face was sullen when the door closed behind Noctis.

“I’m so useless,” he cried, earning a soothing pat on the head from Ignis.

“Not at all, my dear friend. Let’s keep our ears and eyes open. I have a feeling the faster we deal with this the better. Especially if you’ve got a feeling there’s something odd going on in here.”

“I don’t know what it is, but something in this place makes me want to run away and never return. I got the same vibe when we arrived here, but said nothing. You know, I don’t want to burden you guys and Noct’s got more important things on his mind,” Prompto mumbled with a pouty lower lip, Ignis’s hand still on his head.

“We’ll take your feelings seriously nevertheless.” Then Ignis stood up, fixing his suit’s collar. “I think I’ll go do some snooping. Will you be alright on your own for a while?”

Prompto nodded with an agreeing hum, but he did feel rather lonely when Ignis left the room, too. It reminded him too much of his lonely past, all the years being alone and taking care of himself, in whatever way he could. He was happy he had had a home and food on the table, but it still didn’t take away the feeling that he really didn’t belong. Didn’t belong anywhere. Not in Insomnia, not in this gang, not on this mission. At times like these Prompto silently thought that maybe Noctis would have done better without him hindering him. Still, he sucked it up, reminding himself that he was most likely already enough of a burden with his stomach and useless skills, which hold no service to Noctis’s mission, without him starting to brood openly. It would only make things worse, so he sucked it up tighter, and plastered on the happy face, which no one seemed to be able to see through.

He put one of the Priestess’s Drops candies left behind by Ignis into his mouth, rolling it around with his tongue and feeling strong shivers running up and down his body. He really, really didn’t like this manor. It gave him creeps and made him feel both uneasy and unwelcomed. He was happy Noctis had slept next to him last night, as his presence had made Prompto feel more secure. In a sense, his stomach problems had served him right, as Prompto was sure if he had been left alone into his bedroom with this eerie feeling lingering on him constantly, he would have been too spooked to sleep at all.

He didn’t want to think about it. 

 

\---------------------------------------------------- 

 

Prompto woke up, noticing how the candy had dropped out from his mouth and was now all dry on his pillow. He didn’t know how long he had slept, but after getting up and cleaning his candy mess he took a closer look at the room. It was the same as when Ignis had left, so apparently no one had returned to him while he slept. The sun had started to set slowly and would sink into the horizon within a few hours. The room was bathed in warm light and croakily Prompto stood up, stretching his back with hands on his lower back. His stomach felt better already, but his mouth was all dry from sleeping with his mouth open. Thinking that maybe he could find some servant for a glass of water Prompto stepped out from the bedroom.

There was no one in the eerily quiet corridor either and the spooky feeling started to creep into Prompto’s chest. He prepared himself to go down the stairs, hoping to see a glimpse of Ignis, Gladio or Noctis. Preferably Noctis, if he could choose. But there was no one. He met the first person at the first floor, when a male servant was hurrying across the hallway. He stopped when he noticed Prompto and bowed down at him.

“Young master, how are you feeling?” he got a much deeper voice than his young looking face let Prompto anticipate.

“Fine, thank you. If I could have a glass of water…” he said, “Please.”

The servant led Prompto into a big kitchen – not as big as in Noctis’s home – and informed the nearby maid that the gentleman here would like to have some refreshments. Prompto had to correct him that a glass of water would be enough, for the sake of his stomach. When he had gotten water with ice cubes, served from a tall crystal glass, he thanked them for the help and told them he’d be retreating back to his bedroom. That, of course, was a lie, because he wanted to find at least one of the guys to know how their plan was going on and whether Ignis had managed to sniff out anything potentially juicy and helpful.

On his way through the tall main hall, which was decorated with painting and marble statues, Prompto ran into Mollis-Mel. She was walking hastily towards the stairs, a lap full of yellow flowers.

“Oh, Young Master,” she gasped surprised and curtseyed deeply, getting a sort of an awkward bow back from Prompto. “A—Argentum, wasn’t it?”

“Nice to see you, My Lady,” Prompto tried to be as formal as possible, immediately worried that calling Ms. Lapis ‘My Lady’ was a big etiquette failure. Mollis-Mel however didn’t pay any attention to this.

“I was hoping you’d feel better, Young Master. I picked these flowers from my father’s garden for you while we had an afternoon walk and tea there with His Highness Lucis Caelum. These are supposed to help the sick to heal,” Mollis-Mel spoke softly, showing the flowers to Prompto.

Prompto wanted to say that there was no need to address him in such a formal way, but again, he didn’t know whether it would have been taken as a rude thing to request, so he kept his mouth shut. He didn’t want to sabotage Noctis’s fame or mission.

“They are most lovely, Miss Lapis. I appreciate your concern and apologize for the trouble,” Prompto thanked her, hoping he was talking the right way.

Mollis-Mel smiled a bit, her beautiful face turning elegantly toward the stairs.

“No need to. I must apologize for the trouble,” she said and then her eyes turned forlorn. He quickly closed the space between them, her face hidden from Prompto’s view.

“Mr. Argentum. I’d like to have a word with you, if we may? In private.”

The hair at the back of Prompto’s neck stood up. He could tell something wasn’t right.

“O—Of course. Please, lead the way,” he whispered back, his body tensed. As he followed Mollis-Mel upstairs to his bedroom, he was sure Mollis-Mel would like to know something about Noctis. What could he tell her? If he told something important, it could turn against them, if the Lapis family was as vile as Ignis feared. If he didn’t reply to her properly, she could start to suspect they knew about the Lapis family’s trouble and things could get very messy. Either way, Prompto could feel how his stomach churned when he closed the bedroom door behind him. How he wished that Ignis would be here to save his hide now. Or Noctis! Wasn’t it the prince’s job to protect his subordinates, especially the ones who were his friends?  
  
“Mr. Argentum, I apologize for this sudden call,” Mollis-Mel placed the yellow flower bouquet on the night stand slowly.  

Prompto was ashamed he had left the bed undone and messy.

“Not at all, My Lady. How may I serve you?” Prompto put on the etiquette mode with a slightly stuttering voice.

“I… We met yesterday, Mr. Argentum. I… I got a feeling you might have overhead a personal conversation,” Mollis-Mel started. Prompto’s heart skipped a beat but he just cocked his eyebrow, looking surprised.

“I swear on my heart, Fair Lady, that my ears haven’t heard anything,” he said with such convincing and polite voice he almost believed it himself. Then he took a worried look. “May I ask, is there something troubling you, Miss. Lapis? I swear on my honor as a man that if there’s something that troubles My Lady, I will do my best to aid you.”

Damn. If only Ignis was here now hearing how well he actually managed to play the role of a nobleman. Reading all the comics and playing the dating games on his phone were useful after all. In your face, Gladio!

Mollis-Mel sat down on the bed’s side with a sigh, her big deer eyes full of misery.

“Oh, Mr. Argentum, your heart is too kind for someone like me,” she sighed, palms crossing on her lap.

Prompto paled at her words, feeling how the cold sweat started to form on his forehead, but he waited for Mollis-Mel to continue.

“My heart aches when I think about His Highness. How kind he is, how suave and gentle,” Mollis-Mel whirled her fingers thoughtfully, her head bowed down with a pained expression. “I’m unworthy of someone who bears such a pure soul and timid but beautiful smile.”

“I think Ms. Lapis is more than a suitable bride option,” Prompto soothed her, unsure of what she was getting at.

“No, Mr. Argentum, for that you are wrong,” she hissed and Prompto could see how she was fighting against tears. When she didn’t say anything for a while, Prompto walked before her, kneeling down and taking her hands into his. She took a surprised look at Prompto, her delicate lips parted, beautiful doll-like eyes asking for an answer from him.

“My Lady,” Prompto sighed, squeezing her tiny palms. “I can see something pains your heart way too much. If I can help you somehow, Miss, let me know. The Highness is a servant of everyone in Lucis and if we can help you out somehow, My Lady, I promise we’ll do it.”

A shocked look flashed in her eyes and she shook her head furiously, gasping for air.

“Oh I do not dare. It would shame His Highness, blacken his reputation. I do not wish ill for His Highness.”

“Then let me help you out, My Lady, for I am not anyone important to His Highness’s reputation,” Prompto urged, his inner sense telling him he was close to something big.

Mollis-Mel stopped before she could say anything back at Prompto. She looked dazed, unsure. Prompto didn’t want this opportunity to go away and he gave her palms another warm squeeze.

“But first, you need to tell me what it is that troubles you so much and what you fear will cause ill to The Prince,” he kept his eyes cast down, hoping it would give across a message that he wasn’t as desperate to know what was going on as he truly was. She didn’t say anything, just sat silently at the bed side.

“Please, My Lady. Our time is running out. I beg of you,” Prompto hissed, his back all sweaty from the tension and fear that Mollis-Mel would sniff out that they already had suspicions that something wasn’t right within the Lapis manor.

“…I… I trust you, Mr. Argentum. Your eyes are sincere, like the Prince’s,” she finally nodded with a shivering voice, her eyes scared despite her promise. “But this can’t be shared with anyone in this manor.”

“I give you my word,” Prompto shot his head up, his eyes narrowing sharply.

“Our household… We’re in the verge of bankruptcy,” she started hesitantly with a meek voice, “My parents want me to marry His Highness, no matter what, but I can’t do such a vile thing to The Prince, for I have seen how wonderful person he is and for it goes against my personal morals,” her palms trembled in Prompto’s hold.

“What?” Prompto hissed, “That’s horrible.”

“I know it is. Thus I don’t want to harm His Highness.”

“You know, My Lady, that it is not No--- not The Prince who decides the bride, but the Astrals? He can’t be married to nor marry anyone the Astrals don’t approve of,” Prompto asked.

“Yes, I’m aware of that, but my parents won’t listen. They say that I need to gain the favor of both The Prince and The Astrals,” Mollis-Mel was tearing up.

Prompto couldn’t believe his ears. That was insane. There was no way to bribe the Astrals in a Divine Mission and since the archduke and his wife did think they could force the Astrals to give the crown to their daughter, it was a very bad omen. For everyone, but especially for Mollis-Mel.

“What can I do?” Prompto blurted his thoughts out loud. Mollis-Mel shifted their palms’ positions, taking a hold of Prompto’s hand.

“My aunt lives in Altissia. I can go there. Run away. She will keep my side, she’s also my Godmother who I love dearly and who also loves me. She’s like a mother to me. More than my own…” her voice died at the end and it hurt Prompto’s heart. He knew what the girl here was talking about.

“How can you get to Altissia, Miss?” Prompto whispered, creeping closer to Mollis-Mel.

She bent down towards Prompto, her sad eyes narrowing with a determined manner.

“I’ve got a pass due relative relationship. If I can get to a ship without my parents noticing it, I’ll be safe. My aunt is at my side. She knows how things here are and she’s got money to hire lawyers if needed,” she replied.

Prompto was liking the way she had thought all this through so well. He reasoned she must have been very unhappy for a long time already and it sounded like her parents had started to train her ready for Noctis’s courtships as soon as the news of his mission went public. He was pleased they had found Mollis-Mel rather quickly, otherwise the poor girl would have been suffering here a lot, lot longer.

“I’ll arrange that. I promise. We’ll leave this night, when everyone is sleeping,” Prompto assured.

“But His Highness—“ Mollis-Mel started, but Prompto shut her down with placing a finger on his own lips.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got it all covered. Just get ready for the leave.”

 

 --------------------------------------

Prompto’s plan with Mollis-Mel was something he couldn’t hide from the rest of the group. The first one to hear about the plan was Ignis, who spread the word slyly both to Gladio and Noctis. After the formalities had been through for the day, all down the etiquette’s book, Prompto gave a quick knowing glance at Mollis-Mel, who replied with a barely visible nod. It was also the first time of the day all the four men could finally meet together and they hurried upstairs, meeting yet again in Prompto’s bedroom. When Gladio had made sure no one was near or could hear them, he locked the door and gathered everyone into a tight circle.

“We’ll leave as soon as Miss Lapis is ready, after everyone has gone to bed. We can’t use the front door for her, but Ignis has whipped up a plan for us,” Gladio murmured.

Ignis straightened his back, eyes sharp.

“Prompto will go to Miss. Lapis’s room and help her out from the window. The second floor is somewhat high, but nothing our Gladio couldn’t handle. He will catch the damsel in distress with his strong arms,” Ignis smiled, “As Miss Lapis has been helped out safely, Prompto will close the window and make sure there are no visible evidence which would alarm people at night time. Noctis will warp himself out from this bedroom’s window, get to the car and get it ready as quietly as possible. I have parked it further away from the front door, so we should be able to drive of silently.”

“And the daemons?” Noctis was frowning deeply.

“Roads are indeed unsafe at night time, but fear not. I have borrowed some of the archduke’s finest Terminus bushes’ brands. They are in the car, on the back seat, with a roll of tape. Please make sure you tape them around the car well, Noct.”

“Will do.”

“Wow, you sure are fast to work. And shifty. Like a real Coeurl,” Gladio was impressed of how Ignis had managed to prepare daemon safety measurement for the car within a few hours only.

“It’s easy when half of the manor thinks I’m with The Prince and the other half thinks I’m with the sick Prompto,” Ignis simply stated.

“What about you?” Prompto asked from Ignis.

“I’ll gather our stuff and make sure Prompto gets out safely. You and I are a bit too heavy to catch from jumping down from the second floor’s window, so we two must use the front door. We can always say you need some fresh air and a little stomach easing walk if we are caught.”

“You being my aid for yesterday and today is really paying for us,” Prompto’s eyes were shining.

“Indeed. Noctis, I need to ask you to drive. I can trust you with that, yes?” Ignis turned to Noctis’s side. He nodded strongly, jingling the car keys in his hold.

“I’m on it.”

“Gladio, get ready to go out. We need to get you out a bit earlier than us, otherwise it can be suspicious, if we happen to encounter people on our way,” Ignis said to Gladio.

“I’ll be going for a little ‘night run’ if anyone asks,” he grinned from ear to ear, pleased that there was finally some action for him.

“Now, we need to hope that Miss Lapis is indeed in trouble like she said, and this isn’t a trap. If it is, we fight through it, it’s the only way, though it will cause some trouble for the PR-management to come up with an explanation for why the Prince of Lucis has damaged one of Lucians,” Ignis was serious with his words. Everyone nodded in unison, getting ready for the showdown.

After midnight, when the manor was silent and the air stood still, the four guys kicked the operation in go. Gladio had already left to go outside almost an hour ago and had taken a position at the planned time from Mollis-Mel’s window. Prompto was dispatched to her room while Noctis made his way out from Prompto’s bedroom’s window down to the front yard, sprinting through the shadows to the car to get the Terminus bushes ready. Ignis made sure that the window behind Noctis was well closed, until he hurried to help Prompto. Mollis-Mel was already half-way out from the window, Prompto helping her with assuring hisses that nothing would happen and Gladio would definitely catch her. They were glad to see she had dressed herself properly into pants, jacket and her hair was tied into a ponytail under a dark cap hat. It was clear she had been planning this kind of an escape for a long time.  
  
With Ignis also coming to help, they got Mollis-Mel out the window and down to Gladio’s arms, as he caught the slim woman like a pro. He signaled that everything was okay and left running towards the car. Ignis and Prompto shut her room’s window, made sure everything looked fine and in order, and made their way downstairs quietly. For their luck they came across no one and got out from the front door extremely quietly with the code Mollis-Mel had given to them, for the front door automatically locked at midnight. Spurting out to the car they saw that Noctis was already waiting for them impatiently. Gladio had taken a seat at the back with Mollis-Mel and Ignis signaled Prompto to take the back seat next to her, as she trusted him the best. Everyone finally in the car, Noctis started the engine quietly and steered the car away without lights on as silently as it was ever possible. When they made to the big road from the small sandy road leading to the manor’s front yard, Noctis turned the car’s head towards Galdin Quay, and put pedal to the medal, switching lights on. A sigh of relief left from everyone’s lips.

“That went smoothly,” Prompto sounded relieved, but Ignis pursed his lips.

“Let’s hope we can get our lady friend to the early morning ship before anyone noticed a thing.”

“I apologize for the trouble,” Mollis-Mel was trembling on the back seat from the excitement and the nervousness leaving her body.

Prompto turned his head to her.

“So, your aunt will see that you are safe at Altissia, Miss Lapis?”

“Please, no more formalities. I’m sick of them,” she sighed. “Please call me just Mel.”

“It’s a surprise what a little adventure together can do for the strict structures,” Gladio smiled amusedly.

“My aunt will definitely take me under her wings. There’s nothing to worry about, as long as we catch the ship at Galdin Quay,” Mollis-Mel said. Then she leaned closer to the front seat from between the seats. “I’m sorry, Your Highness. To get you into this mess with me.”

“No sweat. It’s my duty to protect my people,” Noctis just brushed her apologies off. Prompto was grinning widely at Mollis-Mel.

“See? I told you so,” he sing-sang.

“I’m terribly sorry to hear about your difficult position, Miss Mel,” Ingis send his condolences to Mollis-Mel through the rear-view mirror.

“…It’s fine,” she replied and everyone got the hint not to talk about that subject any longer. She also changed the subject and leaned towards Noctis once more.

“While I’m not your bride, Your Highness, I must tell that I enjoyed our conversations and the short time together tremendously,” she smiled a bit shyly.

Noctis smiled back at her, leaning to speak over his shoulder at her, eyes still on the road.

“I enjoyed our chats, too. Let’s go fishing some time, when your life has calmed down a bit and you are safe from your parents.”

“Yes. I would love that.”

The Terminus bushes turned out to be the most effective way to keep daemons at bay, though by the time they reached the shore of Galdin Quay, when the first rays of the rising sun were trying to peek over the sea’s horizon, half of the bushes had dropped on the go and the rest looked extremely sad. They hung low and tired here and there, but so did Prompto’s head. His eyes were running and nose was clogged, and he looked overall very miserable.

“Oh, shit man….” he whimpered when the car finally stopped, stumbling out from the back seat with weak legs. Mollis-Mel was next to him in a second, her expression worried.

“Mr. Argentum, are you alright?”

“Prompto,” he croaked sadly, sniffling, “It’s Prompto.”

“Prompto?”

“Ah, I think these bushes and I aren’t friends,” he sniveled wiping his running eyes. Mollis-Mel had picked a tissue out somewhere and was handing it to Prompto.

“Are you allergic to these?” Noctis yanked one of the branches from the front door, tossing it around in his hand.

“Uh-huh, seems like it,” Prompto blew his nose loudly.

“That’s strange. I have never met anyone with Terminus bush allergy. In fact, they are the least allergenic plants out there…” Mollis-Mel muttered.

“I must say this is new also for me,” Ignis spoke over the car.

Prompto’s face turned into an annoyed expression, his reddened eyes narrow and eyelashes completely wet. Gladio did find the situation rather humorous though.

“If the walking encyclopedia Ignis and the daughter of the Terminus bush master both say these shouldn’t cause any allergies, then you, my friend, are extremely unlucky. There must be something wrong with you, haha.”

Prompto’s annoyance just grew deeper and darker.

“Guess there is then,” he whimpered sourly.

“Anyway, let’s get a ticket for Miss Mell to Altissia. Allow me to buy you breakfast,” Ignis had circled around the car and had his hand placed brotherly over Mollis-Mel’s upper back.

“Oh no! The least I can do is pay for the gas and the breakfast,” she declined Ignis’s suggestion.

They had a breakfast at the sea, Prompto looking like he was about to fall over in his seat at the table. He whimpered dramatically with running eyes and sniveled sadly, leaning against Noctis’s shoulder and earning comforting pats and fries from him every now and then, protesting loudly whenever Noctis tried to feed his beans for him instead of a delicious, fat fry. He didn’t hear how Gladio whispered to Mollis-Mel that she shouldn’t worry about Prompto, as he was just being a little dramatic and sleep-deprived.

When they had eaten and made sure their runaway daughter of archduke was safely on board, they relaxed, Gladio letting out a warm chuckle.

“She reminds me of Iris somehow.”

“I can see why,” Ignis agreed.

Prompto had started to sneeze and was moaning his desperation against Noctis’s shoulder.

“I guess we need to check out what can cure Terminus bush allergy. I think a good wash for the car will be needed, until we can let you near or in it again,” Ignis had almost a fatherly tone when he spoke to Prompto.

“Let’s stay here today and go to sleep. I suggest camping. Fresh air will most likely do your nose and eyes some good, Prompto,” Gladio patted Prompto’s back a bit too hard, getting an angry groan back.

“Good idea and good also for our wallets. After we have rested, I’ll need to see if there’s any information of how to cure your allergic reaction. Noctis can get the car washed,” Ignis said.

“Can I at least get a remedy?” Prompto whined, his head buried in Noctis’s neck.

“He’s such a baby,” Noctis said dryly, but there was a small smile on the corner of his lips.

“I think we’ll have a few remedies. Come on, let’s go. Gladio pitch the tent. All the equipment should be okay at the trunk, but I can’t guarantee that they won’t give some reaction to you, Prompto, so you’ll get another remedy at the tent if needed.”

“I’ll sleep on the beach if the tent is filthy,” he protested back, but he wasn’t allowed to do that. In the tent he went, with everyone else, sneezing fit after sneezing fit, finally, after two remedy drinks, settling down to Noctis’s side like a pet.

“I take my words back. He’s like Umbra,” Noctis murmured, Prompto’s head on his shoulder and his arm thrown over Prompto’s shoulder. Prompto was half a sleep already, murmuring something annoyed back, and falling almost immediately after that to slumber.

“Poor Prompto. First stomach, now this. No wonder he’s exhausted,” Ignis gave sleeping Prompto a pitying look.


	6. The Holy Bomb

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Noctis and Prompto go for an ill adventure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ta dah! New update! Thank you most kindly for Megbunny for the proofreading this chapter!
> 
> My head is buzzing with ideas and my fingers are on fire, so this fic won't be stopping any time soon! 
> 
> Yesterday I reread for the future purposes the 5 first chapters, around 55 pages, and it took an hour. Can you believe it has taken 20-25 hours to write text worth of one hour reading! That doesn't include proofreading hours, just pure flow-type of a typing. Writing is a serious, time consuming, business..! Thus I appreciate all your support! Some of you have caught me at Tumblr and Twitter - both @niuniente - and I want to say that is always an okay thing to do :3

”Prompto is still sleeping…”

Noctis’s expression was troubled as he returned back to the tent from Hammerhead’s car wash and saw Prompto on the same spot he had left him earlier today. Silently, Noctis sat next to Prompto in their green tent, petting his now messy blond hair softly with his fingertips. Ignis, who had just followed Noctis from the outside into the tent with two cups of coffee, raised his brows.

“I guess he was more exhausted than we thought,” he offered soothingly at worried Noctis, holding out another of the cups for him. “I apologize; I couldn’t find any cure for the allergy.”

“Remedies have been helpful in some extent,” Noctis said, peering down closer to look at Prompto’s sleeping face.

“Yes. He’s not sniveling as much anymore,” Ignis agreed while urging Noctis to take the coffee cup from him.

“It’s already late evening and he hasn’t woken up,” Noctis muttered, accepting the cup reluctantly. He felt restless and helpless when someone close to him was sick, and Prompto -being the one who was abandoned by The Lady Luck- felt even worse. Prompto was a friend of his, not on this mission because he had to, but because he had wanted to go with Noctis. In a sense, Noctis felt it was his responsibility to make sure Prompto would stay out of harm’s way. While they were dealing with an allergic reaction that was just a paled face, red eyes, and overall weak state, it still pained Noctis. He didn’t want to admit out loud how much his heart had sunk when he had found that Prompto was still sleeping. Noctis had expected him to be awaken by the time of him returning from the Hammerhead.

Ignis sat down on the corner of the tent, opposite to the side of Noctis, with a tender smile on his face.

“I think he’ll be fine. Let’s just let him rest as long as he needs to, shall we?”

Noctis eyed Ignis silently for a long time but sighed finally, taking a sip of the coffee cup -despite not really being a fan of coffee. His gaze returned slowly to Prompto, who was sleeping on his right side, his face to Noctis. He was snoring.

“Is Gladio still out?” Noctis asked.

“He said he would be meditating for a bit at the fishing pier while the beach is quiet and empty.”

Noctis couldn’t help a small snort into his mug.

“Since when he has been meditating?” he chuckled, imagining Gladio mumbling some gibberish while sitting in a lotus position.

“A little while now. I guess it was something Iris came up with, and to be honest, I think a fine warrior needs to have some inner balance. Don’t you agree?” Ignis said calmly, looking at Noctis over the edge of his glasses. Noctis only frowned, looking irritated.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he sounded hurt, but Ignis just snickered lightly.

“Nothing, your Highness.”

Noctis wasn’t completely convinced that Ignis wasn’t trying to hint at something, but he let it slide, at least for now. He lifted the mug back to his lips, the bitter coffee still a bit too hot to drink comfortably. Ignis was drinking it effortlessly, and Noctis didn’t want to be any worse than he was. The bitterness of the coffee mixed with the bitterness of Noctis’s mood. That bitterness had been trying to seep through him for days now, and like always, Ignis picked the change in his mood up right away.

“Something on your mind, Noct?” he asked casually.

Noctis’s lips pressed together tightly, and he was silent for a moment.

“…It’s nothing… Just that this trip is already rather troublesome and tiring. And I’m sort of upset about the scammers we need to look out for,” he explained sullenly, his head dropping downwards.

Ignis shifted into a more comfortable position and pulled his left knee up, placing his arm to rest on it casually.

“I promise we’ll be more careful from now on. We still have some options left here in Lucis and we can always do a double check at the family before visiting them. The investigation team at the palace will offer any help we need. We should utilize them a lot more from now on.”

“Sounds like a plan to me,” Noctis agreed, looking slightly relieved by Ignis’s words.

“Are you afraid of any particular meetings of the next bride options I have listed down?” Ignis asked.

Noctis remembered all the faces Ignis had shown him from the notebook he was carrying with him, and he shook his head while humming. His expression darkened and he took a hold of the enamel coffee mug with both hands. He couldn’t say how any of the women in the pictures hadn’t piqued his interest and after how things had gone with Miss Lapis – the first woman who had interested him in some level – Noctis was scared he would make a horrible mistake with choosing the bride, even when he listened to his heart. What if he went for a scammer? What if he chose wrong and Shiva wouldn’t allow him to rise up to the throne? What would he tell his father and their people if he failed?

“To be honest, I’m really not in the mood for meeting anyone right now,” Noctis replied shortly, his blue eyes drifting back to Prompto’s sleeping form. He looked peaceful but pale, his sides rising and lowering with the pace of his soft snoring.

“That won’t be a problem. I will ask the investigators to run a background search for our current bride options and depending on how long it takes, we might need to postpone our next visitation with a day or two,” Ignis soothed Noctis, finishing his coffee.

Noctis felt like he would need more time than just a day or a two to get his mood back, but he didn’t say anything about it out loud. Maybe he was just tired and disappointed. Perhaps, what he feared the most was that his plan to help the archduke’s daughter escape would come later to bite his ass. But mostly, he felt sorry for Prompto’s misery. It was boring and sort of dull not to have his smiling face around, something which he had been looking forward to this whole day. It was also boring not being bombarded by Prompto’s sneak photo shoots, or hear his whining complaining when the air was too hot, or when he was too tired, or when his allergic reaction made him so weak he sought Noctis’s arms for a comfort, sniffing sorrowfully against Noctis’s collar.

“This will be a good opportunity to hunt some monsters and earn cash,” Ignis continued.

His voice brought Noctis’s attention back to the moment from the depths of his troubled mind. He hummed rather absently at Ignis’s suggestion, putting away his unfinished coffee. He then lay down next to Prompto with a deep sigh and patted Prompto’s head, completely ignoring Ignis.

“What wouldn’t you do for the sake of a damsel in distress?” he asked Prompto quietly, not noticing how Ignis gave them a small smile out of the corner of his mouth.

Gladio arrived back from his meditation with a happy look on his face. He looked fresh and well rested, the complete opposite of Prompto. Seeing how Prompto was still sleeping, Gladio’s lips pursed together.

“He’s not awake yet?” Gladio asked.

“Nope, but he should be alright by tomorrow morning. His symptoms are almost completely gone and I think it’s safe to assume he’s now gathering some of his energy back by sleeping,” Ignis explained.

“He had two rather miserable days, I give him that,” Gladio concurred. “Anyway, is there any food left? All that mind quieting made me hungry.”

“Yes, still plenty, as Prompto didn’t wake up to eat. It’s good idea to eat and rest well, as I was just telling Noctis how we need to run some background search for the bride options to avoid scammers, which will take a day or two. Don’t you agree it’s the perfect time to earn cash, since we’re waiting?” Ignis hummed pleased, getting a broad smile from Gladio.

“Now we’re talking my language. Count me in. The damsel saving was fun, but I’m itching for some kills.”

“And you were just meditating…” Noctis snorted from Prompto’s side but either Gladio didn’t hear Noctis’s comment or paid no attention to it.

 

 ----------------------------------------------------

Just to make sure Prompto was indeed in a good condition like he claimed to be after sleeping one day fully, Ignis asked the investigation team to go through a longer list of bridal options than he had originally planned for them. Everyone was very pleased about this. It offered a chance for Noctis to get a breather to get his motivation back and Gladio was already beaming with the idea of how many hunts they could accomplish within these free days. Prompto, on the other hand, was obviously feeling guilty and thinking that this delay was somehow his fault, though Ignis explained in a fatherly fashion that it was a safety measurement so that they could avoid Mollis-Mel Scenario 2 from happening. Prompto puffed up his chest despite the guilt lingering in his eyes and proclaimed that he would work twice as hard during the hunts. Gladio was amused by his statement and made a promise to make sure he would actually do that. For Noctis it looked like Prompto took Gladio’s joke seriously because he puffed his chest up more, flexing his arms with a determined look. Even Noctis could tell that he had beautiful arms. Rubbing his own stick of an arm Noctis felt a bit conscious that unlike Gladio or Prompto, he hadn’t gained much muscle. He pondered if people would take him seriously as a king if he didn’t grow anymore, but instead stayed slim and lithe. If it was possible, he wished he could be blessed with at least some of his father’s charisma as he grew older.

Noctis took the wheel of their recently washed car as they went on a hunt trip tour. Galdin had only had a one hunt nearby the beach, and Gladio had pretty much killed the beast by himself while letting out some steam, so they had to find new hunting missions. Noctis wanted to report to Iris that perhaps her idea of meditation just built up Gladio’s energy too much, as he was forced to sit still without action. Gladio was a man of action, which was something which had always bothered Noctis, as he himself would have rather just been left alone to idle. Prompto was a good company, as he wasn’t as action oriented as Gladio and not as focused as Ignis with his long lectures either. He was a perfect balance of both, but mostly he was all about happy vibes. He urged Noctis to do something, and to not completely bury himself in his home -whether it was the royal palace or his student apartment. Noctis was pleased to see how the life had returned to Prompto’s blue eyes and how animatedly he was arguing with Gladio through the rear-view mirror about some movie which Noctis hadn’t seen. His arms were flailing in the air as he tried to get his point from the shotgun seat to Gladio, who insisted the opposite with a manner just as lively.

Getting to a diner favored by hunters when the day was still young was no trouble for the team. Sniffing around and asking for some hunts, they managed to find a few good, relatively easy quests, which earned them a nice amount of cash. Gladio was itching for more fights, and he was clearly happy to have something, which demanded muscle and power, to do for a change. 

“Guys, I heard there’s a Malboro hunt with huge cash reward in return if we slay it,” Gladio said while returning back from diner’s counter. They had stopped to refuel both Regalia and themselves after an active hunt day.

“That’s not an easy target,” Ignis muttered behind the wheel of Regalia in the gas station's parking spot. Gladio walked to stand next to him.

“The clerk said it’s been pestering folks here for a long time, and they have pooled together a huge reward for anyone who can bring the menace down. It sounds like they are desperate,” Gladio said leaning down against Regalia’s door, his face close to Ignis’s.

“Should we help the poor people out?” Prompto sounded concerned.

Ignis was thinking quietly for a good while.

“Are we up for such a big hunt today?”

“Nah, not today, but tomorrow. There’s a Haven nearby the hunt’s location. Let’s rest there. I suggest we take Chocobos and leave our car here. We’ll get there fine before sun set,” Gladio clarified.

Everyone’s heads turned to Noctis, who blinked from the backseat.

“What?” he stuttered.

“Should we go, Noct?” Ignis asked.

Pondering why this decision had fallen to him Noctis just shrugged his shoulders.

“I guess,” he replied. After all they still had some time to kill until they could continue with the Divine Mission.

Prompto’s face lit up as soon as Chocobos were mentioned. He had obviously been itching to get to ride one, since there really weren’t that many chances for that in Insomnia. He whistled pleased and got out from the car with a one leap. Noctis followed his example. Gladio had already went to rent Chocobos for them and the birds arrived quickly, all to Prompto’s delight. As Gladio was the one with the hunt information stored in his head, he led the way to the Haven nearest to the Malboro. The ride took hours, and when the Haven’s slowly whirling pillar of smoke became visible, Noctis let out a deep sigh.

“My butt hurts…”

“It’s been a rather long time since we last rode chocobos,” Gladio noted next to Noctis, jumping down from the saddle and immediately began to prepare their tent. He was clearly enjoying this, taking his time with the tent and making sure all was well with it.

“Noct, let’s go out for a little walk! I want to take some photos, and stretch my legs and glutes after that ride,” Prompto suggested. He had already pulled his camera out and was testing what setting would suit the dim evening light best.

“If you go, don’t wander too far. It’s going to get dark soon,” Ignis was herding them while rummaging through their food storage for a late dinner.

“I’ll call the chocobos for us if it gets too dark soon,” Noctis said, turning then to Prompto. “Want me to take some pics of you, too?”

“Sure! I saw a really neat rock formation a little bit that-a-way. Let’s go there. Maybe we’ll find some ores or other treasures there,” Prompto said, pointing slightly to right of the direction they had arrived from.

Ignis looked at Prompto and Noctis leaving the camp with a slightly worried look. Gladio chuckled from the tent’s side.

“Don’t worry. Restless they might be, but they’re good boys. It’s gonna be alright.”

“You talk like you’re a parent now,” Ignis hummed back at Gladio, turning his attention to the food cans in his hold, weighting the different dinner options.

“With this position I have to. But you know that,” Gladio grunted at Ignis, who smirked slightly.

“I surely do.”

Gladio tied down the last tent robe, dusting then his palms with a sigh.

“All good. It’s good it didn’t rain yet. The forecast promised some showers for this evening. It’s possible it’s going to rain later in the night.”

“Then we better get the food ready soon, too. Could you lend me a hand with these?” Ignis asked handing a bag of vegetables and a knife to Gladio.

Prompto and Noctis where nowhere to be seen anymore, but their chatter reached just barely the camping spot from the far distance, until it completely disappeared, being replaced by the sound of the nature slowly getting ready for the sun set. Far in the horizon dark clouds had gathered themselves together into a slowly moving mass, which hung low and made the air smell like a promise of rain. Gladio peered at the horizon, shielding his eyes with a palm.

“I hope they notice the clouds early on, as it’s rising from behind them,” he murmured, returning to peel an onion.

“A little rain won’t kill them,” Ignis replied.

“That looks a bit more menacing than a little rain…”

“We can give them a call if needed. We better hurry with the food then, if that cloud is heading this way.”

Gladio narrowed his eyes to take a better look at the dark cloud.

“It seems it’s going to hit us. Perhaps not with full force,” he murmured. A sound of distant rumble echoed in the cloud’s direction and Gladio wrinkled his nose.

“A thunderstorm? How strange to see one at this time of a year,” Ignis had also stopped his cooking and was peering at the same direction while adjusting his glasses.

“Let’s keep an eye on that and call the boys if it comes too close. They probably haven’t seen it yet,” Gladio muttered.

Gladio, like often, was right, as Prompto and Noctis were happily making their way to the big stones Prompto had wanted to shoot, completely unaware of the approaching bad weather. The way to the stone formation was a lot longer than either one of them had anticipated, Prompto stating that it was probably because the landscape just slid past so fast when you were galloping around with a Chocobo that you sort of lost the sense of distance. Noctis didn’t mind about the rather long walk, as it felt a nice change of pace after the day full of beast hunts and a Chocobo ride. The stone formation wasn’t as tall or big as Noctis had anticipated, but Prompto’s artistic eye saw something in it, as he was eagerly rushing towards it with the camera in his hand. He dashed forward with a joyous laugh, leaving Noctis stand behind standing like a statue. Noctis scoffed at the sight, but smiled nevertheless, watching how Prompto had almost made his way to the stone formation in the distance. Then he stopped, lifted the camera up to his face and started to take pictures.  His body bent in strange positions, then he finally lay on the ground to take whatever thing he wanted to capture. Noctis caught up with him and smirked at Prompto.

“Getting any good shots?”

Prompto turned with his camera on his back and snapped a pic of unaware Noctis.

“You bet,” he grinned from ear to ear, bouncing up. He pushed the camera right under Nocti’s wrinkled nose. “Look at this light! It’s amazing.”

Noctis had to admit that he had absolutely no idea about photography techniques. Thus, he wasn’t really able to put as much value on the lights and shadows as Prompto, but he did genuinely like Prompto’s photos.  

“I want to go a bit that way, if it’s OK,” Prompto was pointing eagerly further ahead of them. Noctis only chuckled warmly.

“Fine by me. You lead the way.”

“Keep your eyes open in case of treasures!” Prompto gasped, his eyes narrowing and head turning side to side to see if any treasures were hiding nearby. Noctis followed him with the same manner, both of them sneaking around to see if a sparkling spot would hit their vision, and who would be the one to find a treasure first. Sadly, no treasures were found, but Noctis’s eyes caught the dark cloud at the horizon.

“It’s going to rain soon,” he stopped Prompto from sneaking. He turned his head to the same direction where Noctis was looking at, and whistled.

“Those are awesome clouds! I need to get a picture of them. Let’s go up that hill so I can get a good shot,” Propto’s inner artist was sparkling at the sight of the dark masses on the sky, traveling low with a slow flow. The setting sun contracted the dark clouds with warm colors and Prompto’s eyes sparkled even more at the sight.

He hurried up to a nearby hill while running the whole way, breath heavy and forehead sweaty when he finally made at the top. Noctis simply warped up from the bottom of the hills, much to Prompto’s annoyance.

“I wish I could do that. I’d get such awesome photos if I could easily travel to places that other photographers have trouble reaching”, Prompto sighed and he sounded honestly miffed and sort of sad, too. He aimed the camera towards the clouds and took the shots he wanted.

“The clouds are coming quite quickly this way… Sounds like there’s thunder, too, if you listen very carefully,” Noctis pointed out.

“Let’s head back since we’re far from the camp, and I don’t want to get wet. We can take more pics tomorrow,” Prompto agreed with Noctis’s worry.

Unfortunately for them, the clouds did arrive over them a lot faster than they had anticipated. Gladio gave Noctis a call saying that they should hurry back before the sky opened up, and Noctis let him know they were almost at the camp side, as they could see the camp’s light at the short distance. The clouds darkened the sky and the wind rose, shaking small bushes with fury and completely messing with both of the boys’ hair. Prompto put his arms around himself, shivering.

“Not far from here,” Noctis said noticing how Prompto was feeling cold.

“I’m fine,” he replied and was about to say something else, when a sound of a daemon emerging out from the darkness caught their ears. Faster than they could react, they saw a completely white Bomb floating in front of them with a slowly swaying motion. It had appeared there in a second, and the moment the Bomb met the young men, it opened its mouth and send out flurry flames of an entirely white spell, which hit them both fair and square. Noctis’s legs gave in underneath him and his ears were ringing, skin tingling with an electrifying sensation, yet he could tell the spell which had hit them wasn’t a thunder. It was something else, as he had never seen a white Bomb before. When he finally got his hearing back and managed to clear his buzzing head, he noticed that Ignis had knelt next to him, his hand on Noctis shoulder. He could hear Gladio fighting with loud yells.

“Noct, are you alright?!” Ignis’s voice was worried next to his head. Noctis teetered on his legs and shook his head.

“That stung a bit, but I’m alright,” he replied, pushing Ignis further to signal he was fine. His legs felt still like a jelly, but Noctis pushed himself up fully, not letting his knees to tremble.

Gladio was chasing the white Bomb with the sword in his hand, running after it for a good while, turning then to come back. Noctis couldn’t see Prompto anywhere and he panicked. Ignis had already hurried to Prompto from Noctis and now Noctis also saw how Prompto was lying on his stomach on the grassy ground, eyes closed.

“Oh the Astrals, Prompto!” Noctis gasped out frantically, stumbling to Prompto and dropping on his knees.

Ignis was turning Propmpto on his back, inspecting his vitals.

“He’s going to be fine. Looks like he got the most of that blast,” Ignis said, but it didn’t soothe Noctis at all.

“What the hell happened? We saw a flash of light and rushed here asap,” Gladio had returned back and instead of worried he sounded angry. His eyes were nailed on Noctis, who had a desperate look on his face, his lips parting and closing repeatedly.

“I… I don’t know… The white Bomb just appeared from somewhere... We had no time to react,” he blabbered anxiously.

“Let’s get Prompto warm. The poor man has gotten a lot of rotten luck lately,” Ignis stood up, urging Noctis to also stand by pulling him up from his upper arm.

Gladio picked Prompto up from the ground onto his shoulder with a one swift motion, Noctis following him like a dog, his eyes permanently on Prompto’s limb body.

“Is he going to be fine?” he asked again from Ignis, his voice trembling.

“Judging that you are on your feet that fast from the blast, I’d say he’s just passed out and will come to soon,” Ignis replied, patting Noctis shoulder gently.

Noctis couldn’t believe Prompto was hurt yet again during his trip. The poor innocent by-stander Prompto was hurt, Prompto who had never harmed anyone in his life. He bit his lip anxiously all the way to the camp and by the time they got Prompto inside the tent, a bright lightning with a roaring thunder following it flashed above them, sky pouring down water in a seconds afterwards. Ignis closed the tent’s entrance well and dragged himself on his knees next to Prompto.

“What the hell was that?” Gladio asked from Ignis, while Ignis was giving a closer examination to Prompto.

“It seems Prompto’s bad luck brought up a Holy Bomb,” he muttered.

Noctis’s head whipped to Ignis’s side, his eyes worried and voice tight.

“Is that a bad thing?” he asked while on his fours next to Prompto’s head.

“It’s no different from a regular Bomb, except it’s rare and is loaded with Holy magick. Sometimes they appear before big thunderstorms. Holy Bombs are harmless, as we can tell by the fact Gladio was able chase it away so easily, but it seems you two startled it and it attacked as a self-defense,” Ignis explained, taking a look at Prompto’s pupils. He let out a thoughtful hum.

“What is it?!” Noctis basically yelped at his hum.

“His pupils are a bit dilated but it can happen when you get exposed to a large amount of magical damage at once. Don’t worry, Noct. Prompto just needs to sleep and when he comes to, I’ll give him some potion to get his energy back.”

Noctis sat down on his knees, his chest tight from anxiousness. Somehow he was feeling utterly guilty that the destiny was so cruel to Prompto right now. He had just barely recovered from the stomach issue and the allergic reaction, and here he was again, lifelessly lying down before Noctis, more or less injured. Noctis almost felt like crying, but he sucked it up. Instead he patted Prompto’s head softly. He was about to say that ‘Don’t worry’ for him when Prompto stirred, his lips parting with a nonsense murmur.

“See, he’s coming to already,” Ignis soothed Noctis with a smile.

Prompto mumbled a bit more, turning his head and stretching his arms slightly. Noctis’s eyes sparkled when he saw his friend slowly regaining consciousness.

“Prompto?” he called him softly, leaning closer to his head.

Prompto stirred more, tossing his head with a whip to the other side. His brows twisted upwards into a pained expression, his mouth sneering and before anyone registered what was going on, his body arched upwards violently and he let out a dismal cry, his lithe body convulsing.

“Prompto?!” Noctis called him louder and Ignis and Gladio both jumped to Prompto.

“He’s having a seizure! Make sure he doesn’t bite his tongue!” Ignis yelled at Gladio, as Noctis was too shocked to hear what Ignis had said.

Prompto’s eyes were wide open, his gaze clearly fixated onto something and he yelled out again, this time his voice coming deep from his chest as a tormented howl. His body jerked upwards and Gladio put his hands on his shoulders to hold Prompto down.

“NOOO!” he cried, his eyes shocked and whole body trembling violently as he clawed the thin air, hitting also Gladio in the face. “DON’T! TAKE IT OFF!”

“He’s hallucinating,” Ignis paled down, turning then to Noct. “Noct, please, go get a remedy from the box outside.”

Noctis was staring shockingly at Prompto, who looked like he was battling with something or someone. Ignis slapped Noctis’s face to get his attention and he blinked rapidly, turning his head to Ignis.

“Now, Noct! The remedy!” Ignis commanded him sternly. Noctis bolted up, the fastest he had ever moved, and rushed outside to the storm. He stumbled down on the tent’s ropes on the go, desperately trying to figure out in which of the Ignis’s heavy storage boxes he had the remedies, until he found the one and fished one out with trembling hands. Drenched he returned into the tent and Ignis snatched the remedy from his hand, pouring its content on Prompto. He was yelling like being tortured and Noctis had never felt so horrofied in his whole life.

“He’s not calming down,” Gladio grunted when the screaming with desperate fighting just continued, accompanied now with sad howls.

“IT HURTS!” Prompto cried out loud, gasping for air with tears running on his freckled cheeks.

“We have to wait him to calm down and hope the remedy does the work,” Ignis answered.

“NOCT!” Prompto called Noctis hollowly, and in a second Noctis had dropped next to Prompto’s head, his eyes shocked.

“I’m here,” he replied, but Prompto didn’t hear it.

“IT’S COMING, NOCT! DON’T LET IT… DON’T DO IT! NOT AGAIN...!” Prompto kept blabbering, his head sweaty and breathing rasping. He had stopped his flailing, his body tense like he was waiting for something to happen.

“It’s alright, Prompto! That’s not real!” Noctis shouted at Prompto’s face, hoping it would get through to him. He was shaking and started to scream again with a pained look.

“NOCTIS!” he wailed, letting out then a desperate cry of pain. Noctis was shaking down to his core.

“Here, you take a hold of him when he’s not tearing up,” Ignis commanded pushing Noctis closer to Prompto. He sat down hastily and lifted Prompto’s upper body into his lap.

“Prompto, it’s alright. I’m here,” he tried to say that with as a calm tone as possible, his voice trembling. Whatever Prompto was experiencing now, it sounded like he thought Noctis was there, too. He had to stay calm not to distress Prompto more.

“Noct…!” he yelled, not as loudly.

“I’m here, bro. I’ve got you.”

Prompto’s chest was heaving heavy, shaky breaths, and his eyes still staring into the distance.

“It hurts… tell to stop…”, he whimpered.

The others gave a questioning look to each other. Noctis wrapped his arm around Prompto tighter and spoke to him softly and soothingly.

“It’s alright. I’ve got you. Gladio and Ignis are here, too,” he said, despite the fact his face was pale and horrified to see Prompto in such a bad condition.

Prompto didn’t reply anymore. He just kept looking at something at the tent’s ceiling, silent tears running down on his cheeks, gasping for air.

“It seems the remedy is helping after all,” Ignis murmured his eyes on Prompto, who was now shivering but quiet.  

“What the hell is going on?” Noctis hissed angrily at Ignis like this would have been his fault, his blue, narrowed eyes full of hurt and sadness.

“Overdosing any magick can cause hallucinations, but in strong magicks like holy a smaller amount can also trigger it. It messes up with the brain same way as other poisonous substances do. You know the magick junkies in the crown city. This is the same, ” Ignis ignored Noctis’s anger, placing his hand supportively on Noctis’s shoulder. “It’s unfortunate Prompto got an overdose, though it’s good his body wasn’t harmed,” Ignis noted and his eyes were sincere with pity.

“But I didn’t get any symptoms,” Noctis almost sobbed, feeling even guiltier than previously, Prompto tightly in his hold.

“It’s most likely that Prompto was in a weak state due his recent health problems,” Ignis guessed, turning his head to Prompto. He had calmed down a lot, but was still crying without making any sound.

“… I wonder what he’s seeing…” Gladio spoke finally. He had been awfully quiet through the whole ordeal.

“…We can only guess,” Ignis sighed, watching how Noctis pulled Prompto against his chest more tightly, softly rocking their bodies back and worth. Noctis stared at Prompto’s face with worry. Ignis was sure he was trying to comfort not only Prompto, but also himself, but he didn’t dare to say that out loud to Noctis. Instead he looked at Gladio.

“It’s the best if we let the boys sleep between us this night and skip tomorrow’s Malboro hunt. We can’t strain poor Prompto anymore or otherwise we need to send him back to Insomnia,” he said, and gave Gladio a knowing look about Noctis’s condition, too.

For once, Gladio didn’t disagree with leaving a battle aside but nodded his head, his eyes letting Ignis know that Gladio understood how much stress had been piled on Noctis due this evening’s events. He needed rest and soothing the same way as Prompto did. The unlucky man had quieted in Noctis hold and closed his eyes, his lips still quivering randomly. Everyone was silently glad the remedy had cured the seizure quickly.

Noctis shut his eyes and pressed his nose into Prompto’s messed hair, fighting back horribly heavy guilt, mixed with deep worry and sadness. He needed to know what Prompto was so afraid of that he howled in agony and cried desperately Noctis for help. He needed to protect his people like a real king, that’s what he had said to Mollis-Mel, too, and protect Prompto like the best friend he was, yet somehow he ended up getting Prompto into a trouble. It was unfair. Noctis didn’t mind that much if he had to suffer during Divine Mission in some extent, but for the Astrals’ sake, they shouldn't let Prompto be the one who always took the shots.

When Prompto had settled down completely, and had fallen back to calm slumber, Noctis laid him down gently. He laid down next to him, his arm curling protectively over Prompto’s chest. Ignis was acting very kind and covered them both with camping duvets, and he was sure he heard how Noctis sobbed quietly in secret, his face buried to Prompto’s shoulder.

 

\------------------------------

 

“What were you seeing last evening?”

Noctis had been sort of afraid of asking that from Prompto, who had woken up like nothing would have had happened.

“Eh, what? Did I speak in my sleep?” Prompto cocked his head curiously. The healthy red color had returned on his cheeks and he ate Ignis’s breakfast with a good appetite.

Noctis whirled his fork around the scrambled eggs.

“No, I mean that hallucination. You screamed like a tortured soul, flailing your arms and tossing and turning so much Gladio had to hold you down,” he cleared his question.

Prompto’s face dropped and he chewed his lips, tapping his chin with his fork.

“Sorry, I can’t remember. I don’t remember much of anything after we saw that Bomb,” he apologized. “I heard from Ignis you looked after me the whole night. Thanks, pal.”

Noctis only hummed back at him, his head hanging low, eyes tired.  
  
"Of course. I'd help you with anything," he said.

Prompto's eyes widened and sparkled then softly, expression warm.

"Thanks, Noct," he said, returning then to finish his food. Noctis himself didn't have much appetite. His head was dizzy.

How he was supposed to help or protect Prompto if he didn’t know what it was he needed from him? He didn’t care if the need for protection was for something as silly as green Chocobos in boots or Malboro with human arms instead of tentacles. Nor he did care if it was something more menacing, more dangerous, like the Imperials or Prompto’s phobias, if he had any. He wanted to know so he could stand in between Prompto and his nightmares when he needed help.

Yet, Noctis didn’t want to push the question forward, so he ate his breakfast slowly while listening absently to Prompto’s explanation of the recent events in The King’s Knights.

If Prompto was happy and bright, he wouldn’t go and pry bleeding wounds wider open.   
  
Noctis hoped from the bottom of his heart the tormenting events would stop falling on Prompto. He had gotten too much in a too short of a time. If anything, Noctis didn't want Prompto to be send back to Insomnia. For that, Noctis was feeling too selfish.


	7. Boys' Night Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Prompto cheers Noctis up and a new turn of events takes a place in The Divine Mission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What is this?! A DOUBLE UPDATE!! How lucky you all are! 
> 
> I write chapters in irregular order, so chapter 7 was finished and proofread before chapter 6. Thus I can give you this rare treat. Sometimes updating the next chapter takes a little longer due this irregular chapter writing order, but then it's nice to have quick updates at times :3
> 
> Next week I'll hit Japan, but I should be able to write during the trip in some extend. IF I CAN'T WRITE DURING MY 2 WEEKS' TRIP, there will be 3-4 weeks hiatus starting from 11th day, until a new chapter has been both written and proofread.
> 
> Thank you Scorpiselli for the proofreading!

”Where are we going?” Noctis asked, his expression unsure as Prompto led him toward the Regalia, dancing around with hands behind his back.

“I asked Ignis for permission to borrow the car for today,” Prompro grinned from ear to ear, his eyes closing with the pleased expression. “You’ve been so down lately I thought some fun would do. Actually, I could use some fun too.”

Immediately the flash back of hallucinating Prompto, pale and weak in his arms, rushed into Noctis’s head. He didn’t say anything and did his best not to let Prompto see how much that image still haunted him. It had been weeks already since that horrible event; but Noctis couldn’t brush that memory away. Still, he let out a chuckle, huffing through his nostrils.

“I can’t believe you managed to get Ignis to agree with some fun,” he said, following Prompto to the car. Prompto took the driver’s seat, still grinning.

“I used my trademark puppy eye technique. Even Ignis can’t resist it,” he winked his eye, igniting the engine. “However, we need to be back by tomorrow morning, Ignis said that we could sleep all day; but then we have to get this bride train back on its tracks. Oh, and absolutely no alcohol or morning afters. That was one of Ignis’s rules.”

“Fine with me,” Noctis simply shrugged at the shotgun’s seat.

“Yeah, we know how to have fun without poisonous substances,” Prompto agreed.

Noctis could tell from the look on Prompto’s face that he was honestly excited about this night out; about this one rare moment when they could breathe out and simply forget the whole Divine Mission. With the latest turns and how enormous the task had turned out to be in reality – something which had really dawned on Noctis just recently – he was more than happy to cast away his title as the Prince of Lucis and just be Noctis. Just himself. No demands, no responsibilities, no status quos to hold up.

As Prompto steered the car away from the gas station they had parked at for the night and turned on the road which lead to Lestallum, Noctis got really curious.

“So, where are we going again?” he repeated his earlier question, but Prompto just snickered.

“You’ll see when we get there, but I’m sure you’ll like it,” he assured Noctis, taking a look at him from the corner of his eye, “And if you don’t, we can come up with something else to do. Whatever you want, this is your night out.”

“It’s yours, too,” Noctis disagreed. “Let’s do something we both like.”

“Sure! There are plenty of options, but let’s try the one I have in mind first.”

Noctis couldn’t help the small smile rising on his lips. He was both curious and also happy of this change of pace, and the way Prompto was eager, oh so very eager, to arrange a good evening for Noctis… It felt heartwarming to him. Prompto had, indeed, become his best friend. He always thought Noctis’s well-being and cared for his happiness; did more for Noctis than he gave a credit himself for.

“Thanks for doing this,” Noctis managed to say out loud.

Prompto waved his hand in the air in a carefree manner, his teeth flashing through his smirk.

“No problem, bro!”

The drive to Lestallum went quickly and they actually made it by midnight, something Prompto hadn’t been sure about. It made Noctis even more curious and he wondered in his head what Prompto had planned for this night. The city was still lively at night; orange hued street lights and soft music echoing from somewhere made the place both energetic and oddly relaxing at this time of day.  The air was still too hot and humid for Noctis’s like and he threw his black jacket back on his seat when they got up from the car.

“Wow, it sure is still quite hot in here!” Prompto put Noctis’s thoughts into words. “This place isn’t like Insomnia, but it’s nice to see that folks are still awake.”

“Yeah, this definitely isn’t like home,” Noctis nodded, brushing his hair. The talk of home made him remember that the next time he would return there, it would be with a bride. It still felt odd and almost unreal; but right now he didn’t want to think about it. He turned to Prompto and smiled slightly.

“So, where next?”

“If I’m not wrong, that way,” Prompto looked at directions on his phone and pointed in front of them. “Then turn right after the dinner place, down some stairs, a bit further forward, down more stairs and we should be at about the right place.”

“Quite far away…”

“Nah, it just sounds like that,” Prompto said, pushing the phone back into his jeans’ pocket. “So, this way. Follow the chocobo boy!”

Noctis allowed Prompto to lead him to whatever place he had found for them. He kept trying to guess what it could be, but knowing Prompto it was most likely something lighthearted and fun; like Prompto’s company itself. Noctis could feel a sensation of excitement rising in his chest as they went deeper into the city, going down some stairs like Prompto had said, then a bit further forward, more stairs to an even lower city level, and finally they arrived at a narrow alley.

“Yeah, this is it!” Prompto shouted with delight. Noctis, however, didn’t see anything specific in the alley. Quite opposite. It looked empty, forgotten, abandoned.

“So enlighten me again, why did we come here?” he murmured, looking at the scattered piles of litter around the edges of the stony alleyway.

“A little further, come on,” Prompto was excited. He took Noctis’s hand and basically pulled the prince with him, spurting into a run so suddenly that Noctis almost tripped over his own feet. He was about to protest, telling Prompto to slow down, when he stopped in front of a door which was decorated with posters. Tens of posters. New ones over old ones in so many layers it was basically impossible to say how many posters there were. Noctis blinked his eyes in surprise when he heard faint music coming from the other side. He yanked his hand from Prompto’s hold and backed up.

“Hell no,” he gasped, pale as if he had just seen a ghost, “I’m not going in there.”

“Come on, Noct! It’ll be fun!” Prompto encouraged him.

“I’m not going to dance!” he shouted, already regretting his decision to follow Prompto.

“Aaaw, Noct! Dancing is a good way to blow off some steam! Besides, this isn’t some royal ballroom. No one really cares how you dance. You could look like a zombie having a seizure and no one would bat an eyelash,” Prompto whined in a protest.

“A zombie having a seizure?” Noctis couldn’t believe what he had just heard.

“I know it’s not really your thing; so that’s why I didn’t tell you. I also agreed that we’d do something else if you don’t want to dance,” Prompto began, “But let’s go in and at least try it out. For a few minutes? We can leave then if you hate it. Please?”

There he was. Pulling out those blue puppy eyes no one could resist. Not Ignis, and not even Noctis. He felt horrible sting of guilt piercing through his midsection. Here Prompto was, helping him out with a mission that didn’t concern him at all, getting himself injured, and going through such an effort to cheer him up when he was upset. And what did Noctis do in return? Nothing really.

There was no way he could decline this offer. No way he could actually say “hell no, I’m leaving now” to Prompto’s face without feeling like he was the worst villain ever. Thus, Noctis pushed his shoulders back and scratched his head.

“…Fine. Let’s go. You know, maybe I might end up liking it a little.”

“That’s my man!” Prompto cheered happily, throwing his arms in the air. “We’ll leave as soon as you want. That’s a promise and I never break my promises!”

With an agreeing - and somewhat unsure – nod, Noctis let Prompto open the door in front of them. When Noctis got inside, following in Prompto’s steps, a chaotic mixture of different neon lights and a deep beat of trance hit his face. Right fair and square. Noctis immediately felt an urge to turn on his heels and run away, but he kept going deeper in after Prompto, who paid the fee for both of them. The place was crowded and Noctis did his best trying to avoid getting squeezed by masses of people. Prompto walked them to a corner of the room, leaning closer to Noctis’s face.

“This is a good spot,” he yelled over the music. “We won’t be bumping into too many people, and no one will pay any attention to you.”

“I don’t know how to dance,” Noctis whined awkwardly, sensing how the embarrassment was getting the better of him.

“It’s easy, just let your body move however it likes to the music. Like I said; no rules here,” Prompto patted his shoulder and turned then around laughing, throwing himself fully into the joy of dancing.

Noctis kept staring at Prompto, wishing he could let it go that easily while shifting his weight from one leg to another like a robot. He really, really, really wished no one was looking at him right now. It was embarrassing - even without anyone staring - in this environment, which was far beyond Noctis’s comfort zone. Prompto, however, was as carefree as always, clearly enjoying the music and the heavy beats, neon lights bouncing back from his body whenever they brushed over him with a highly whirling motion. It looked like he had arrived home.

After a while of awkward side stepping, and with plenty of Prompto’s encouraging nods, shouts, claps, whistles and supportive pats of his arms, Noctis started to move more freely. He did his best to listen to the beat and take a look around him to see how others were dancing. Like Prompto had promised, no one paid any attention to them. Everyone was busy with their own movements, and the alcohol running in their system made them even more carefree. To Noctis’s horror more people were coming in, heading toward their corner for the free space behind them. He wasn’t sure what he should do: to avoid them, to keep his post or to head back to the entrance, but Prompto’s hands took a hold of his. He turned to look at Prompto’s grinning face, and without a word Prompto guided Noctis deeper into the mass, allowing the other people to take their spot.

“A little crowded here but we’ll manage. We don’t have to go any deeper,” Prompto yelled at Noctis’s horrified looking face. “Tell me if you want to leave.”

“I’m fine,” he lied, his heart beating too fast and cheeks red from the embarrassment that just kept hanging to him. He reminded himself that this was the least he could do for Prompto, let him enjoy the dance and this place, at least a little longer. He could do this. If he just concentrated on Prompto, he would eventually forget the others around him and perhaps he would also be able to let go of his own awkwardness.

The air around them smelled like sweat, and Noctis cursed under his breath the hot nights of Lestallum, which crept inside the building and into this small dance club, the masses of people making the tiny space like a furnace with the night heat. Hair on the back of his neck was already glued against his skin and his palms were sticky and sweaty, too. Yet, he kept dancing, as awkwardly as ever but slightly more carefree now, his eyes turning to focus on Prompto.

Prompto in front of him was dancing to the heavy trance beat with his eyes closed, his always spiky hair already somewhat flat from the head spins and the hotness of the air, arms slightly above his head. He twisted, turned and rocked his body with bendy knees and smooth hips, his movement fluid and playful, completely carefree. Noctis had a hard time to believe this was the same guy who had almost got himself killed just a while ago, but then again it was Prompto. Somehow he imagined that if anyone could turn any bad event to better, it would be Prompto; that bendy blond with a great sense of rhythm, his lips parted as he breathed heavily, the hot and moist Lestallum air inside the club making his forehead glisten with sweat. He was dancing like there was no worry in the world and that was something Noctis admired in his friend. That upbeat personality, those swaying hips and the way his long neck stretched with the beat and a laugh that Noctis couldn’t hear from under the music, escaping from his thin lips. He could understand why at times, when they were among people, young women would send longing stares at Prompto, for he was indeed beautiful. Beautiful and flexible. Energetic and fun. His lips were perhaps the best part in him from Noctis’s opinion.

Prompto’s eyes opened suddenly and he smiled wickedly at Noctis. He winked an eye, sending a mock kiss to Noctis with his lips, and then turned around, a laughter rising up to his face.

Noctis realized only now that he had been staring Prompto. How he had almost completely stopped dancing. How there was now a hot flare trailing heavily across his cheekbones. And how Prompto had noticed his stare and teased him about it; in a way only Prompto could tease him. Playful, mischievous and utterly unaware of how it made Noctis’s lower stomach twist around uncontrollably. Shit, he had been thinking about his lips too! And he admitted to himself how beautiful Prompto was with that sweaty, laughing face and pleased looking expression. Prompto only kept dancing, his back now to Noctis and the way he threw his sweaty head backwards with a sway of his narrow hips looked like a movement to mock those of the sexy background dancers in Noctis’s favourite band’s music videos.

It felt odd. It felt strange and alluring to Noctis. He knew Prompto was joking around with him and most likely did that on purpose. He always did take the pranks seriously, especially when he found the most awkward parts of Noctis’s personality. When he got awkward or failed somehow funnily or blurted out something odd – or didn’t say anything when he should have. That’s what friends were. They joked and teased each other, like Prompto now with that last spin of his flexible cat like body, so tiny in frame and yet muscular in a way it made girls squeal in delight. A second spin of his lithe body, so oddly intriguing, moved in a way it was basically inviting and mocking Noctis to have his eyes traveling over it hungrily.

Noctis had to turn around, his face on fire and crotch feeling tight. He tried to be subtle with his hasty turn, but he couldn’t. He moved too quickly and as soon as Noctis had pushed himself free from the mass of surprised people, who complained about this rude dancer violating them, and got to the edge of the dancing mass, Prompto’s hand landed on his shoulder firmly, halting him there.

“Noct, are you okay?” he yelled over the music.

Noctis took a quick glance over his shoulder.

“I need some air,” he yelled back with tight lips and freed himself from Prompto’s hold. With determined steps he made his way out, pushing the heavy door open and throwing his head backwards, his hands on his hips. He breathed out heavily the night air, which felt almost cold on his burning skin.

What the hell was that? What the hell was going on within him? Had he seriously been checking out Prompto? His best friend, for Astrals’ sake?

“Noct, are you okay?” a worried Prompto was at Noctis’s side in a second; his blond brows knit together tightly.

“Fine. That was just too hot,” Noctis lied, his forehead sweaty, breathing heavily. In a second he realized that his wording could be understood as an innuendo after all his staring, and by the Astrals, was he happy when Prompto missed this opportunity to tease him.

“Yeah, your face is red alright,” Prompto agreed, wiping his hairline with the back of his forearm. “I’m sorry, I didn’t notice you weren’t feeling too good…” Prompto added when Noctis remained silent.

“It’s okay, don’t fret about it. I think I just need something to drink,” he tried to direct the conversation to something natural and ignore his pounding heart.

“I’ll get you something. As compensation for dragging you in there,” Prompto offered.

“Thanks, but there’s no need for compensation; I went in myself, sorry I didn’t last long.”

Damn! Another innuendo, he thought himself, and thanked the Astrals for the second time when Prompto missed also this opening. Noctis just tried to keep his face straight.

Prompto, like always, wasn’t soothed by Noctis’s words that easily. He kept fussing about Noctis’s well-being and Noctis’s stomach dropped with guilt. There was no way he could tell Prompto why he had rushed out like that. What could he even say? He didn’t even know himself what that had been. And all these innuendos suddenly dropping out from his mouth like jumpy frogs. Actually, why did he even pay attention to them? They were just regular words. Why had he even been staring at Prompto back there?

He had to be tired; or stressed from the bride hunting. Too many things going on inside his head. Yeah. That had to be it. His head was too worked up from all the meetings, and worry, and stress.

Without Noctis even noticing, Prompto had managed to guide them up to the street level and get them two ice teas with ice cubes. His face was still worried when he hurried the drink into Noctis’s hand.

“Here, this will help,” he said. Noctis accepted the drink and took a long sip from it even though he wasn’t thirsty. The cold ice tea did calm him down somehow and he exhaled loudly.

“You’re looking better already. Nothing a good, cold mug of ice tea couldn’t cure!” Prompto was relieved.

“Sorry I ruined your fun,” Noctis was starting to feel the sensation of guilt again, but Prompto brushed his apology off.

“Never mind.  We agreed to do something fun together. I had my share of the fun, so what’d you like to do? We still have the whole night left,” he asked curiously.

“Maybe some Justice Monsters Five?” Noctis suggested, glad that his body had calmed down, though his mind was still bothered.

Prompto laughed out loud, surprised.

“Really?” he chuckled, “How about a good dinner and Justice Monsters Five? I’m going to beat your ass in that game.”

“Oh yeah? I’m not a dancer but I’m a JM guru, so watch it,” Noctis smirked back, his eyes narrowing.

Prompto took it as a challenge, puffing his chest out.

“Fine, you’re on! The loser pays for the food!”

The smirk on Noctis’s face widened and he hit Prompto’s upper back.

“Deal!”

Prompto was in the game immediately. They searched for a place with the flipper machine and would still be open. It took a while, and by the time they started their match, Noctis had mostly forgotten what had happened. He was relieved he could be around Prompto just normally, like always. No odd sensations or strange temptations. They played three matches, and Prompto lost every single one of them, so to soothe his mind Noctis bought him an ice cream, joking that kids needed to have kiddy dessert with lunch.

“You know, it’s a good thing I didn’t take you to a punk gig,” Prompto was mumbling his mouth full of burger.

“You were thinking that?” Noctis asked, amused.

“Yeah, but I thought it wouldn’t be suitable for you. You know,” Prompto replied, rolling his palm in the air gesturing at Noctis about his royal blood line.

“I dunno, maybe I’d like it? There’s probably no dancing.”

“Dude, there’s no dancing but crazy bouncing. Ignis would have killed me if we got back to the trailer with you all bruised, Noct,” Prompto gasped.

“Better than dancing,” Noctis just shrugged his shoulders casually.

Prompto fell into a silence, fidgeting his burger around in his fingers.

“You know…” he started with a tiny voice, “I’m honestly sorry I dragged you to the club. And that I didn’t notice you not feeling well.”

Noctis stopped in the middle of the bite.

“Don’t sweat it. I said I’d go and I can take care of myself,” he tried to brush it all off as nonchalantly as possible because he really, really didn’t want to talk about it with Prompto – or anyone. “Besides, we had good games and now some burgers. A very eventful night, don’t you think?” he added.

“…You’re right,” Prompto sighed and smiled somewhat sadly, “It’s just… when you’re married and in the position you’re supposed to be with all the important heavy stuff, we probably won’t get much chance to travel and play around like this, will we? At least not this freely,” he murmured softly, avoiding Noctis’s eyes.

“Pff, I’ll run away from Ignis, and from my wife,” Noctis snorted playfully, concentrating on his burger.

Prompto nodded a bit, still looking sad, but then he lifted his head up with the widest grin.

“’Noct ran away with his no good rascal friend’” he mimicked a news anchor’s voice, posing dramatically with a French fry as his microphone. “’The whole city is in alert and eye witnesses are asked to call to the number below the screen in any sightings of the runaway’”.

Noctis had to laugh at Prompto’s performance out loud, and their goofing around received an evil glare from the clerk at the desk.

But Noctis didn’t notice it. He was just happy to be out and let go for a moment, happy to share his short freedom with his best friend.

 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------

 

“Guys, I need to have a word with you.”

Gladio’s unnaturally stoic tone caught everyone’s attention at the camp fire. They had just arrived to their camping spot and pitched the tent after yet another un-successful day of bride hunting.

“You look serious,” Ignis pointed out, his dish of food held elegantly.

“It’s always scary when Gladio gets serious,” Prompto whispered, leaning forward in his chair.

“I’ve been thinking how futile our efforts with the wife fetching have been,” Gladio began, giving an apologetic look at Ignis, “with all respect.”

“I understand. Go on,” Ignis replied, adjusting his glasses.

“We’ve almost gone through all the options Ignis narrowed down since we left. It’s time to widen the age gap soon,” Gladio said, crossing his arms. “I remember Noctis saying that Lunafreya said we should start our search from Lucis. This does give me the impression that the Lady Right One could be somewhere in this land.”

“I’ve been thinking the same,” Noctis agreed, his brows furrowing. “No luck so far…”

“I’ve also been thinking that the woman should be someone worthy of the Lucis’s crown. Just some random chick probably won’t do, or seems a very unlikely choice in my opinion,” Gladio reasoned out loud, crossing his arms over his chest. He closed his eyes, looking thoughtful. “Maybe we’ve been looking too far and wide?”

“What are you getting at?” Ignis voice was curious.

Noctis had stopped eating. Everyone was eagerly and nervously waiting for Gladio to continue.

“I’ve been going through this in my head for a while now, from all possible directions, and I can’t shake the feeling that maybe this is the answer,” Gladio murmured, still with his eyes closed.

Prompto’s face lit up.

“Do you have someone in mind?” he gasped.

“Yeah, I do,” Gladio said and Noctis's heart almost stopped. Slowly Gladio opened his brown eyes and stared at Noctis with a steely gaze.

“Iris.”

“Iris!” everyone gasped in unison.

Gladio shifted in his seat, his expression uncomfortable, but he hummed approvingly.

“I see,” Ignis said, placing his plate down the stone ground, “That is a rather reasonable suggestion. After all, Iris is from the Amicitia family, which has been close to Lucis’s blood line for centuries. She’s familiar with Noctis and is the future king’s shield’s younger sister, born in Insomnia. Not a bad choice.”

“She’s too young, though”, Noctis pointed out, unable to say that his head was spinning from this idea that Iris could be the one. Was it a good or bad spin, he couldn’t tell.

“Yeah, that’s my issue, too. I’m against engagement at age of 15. Iris needs to be older than that,” Gladio agreed with a grunt.

“But she’s cute,” Prompto tried, earning a sharp glare from Gladio. Quickly Prompto decided to drop the subject.

“I don’t think a year’s wait and after that a two years long engagement would be any problem, if Iris is the one. After all, there’s no hurry for Noctis to claim the throne while King is in good health,” Ignis said, turning his attention to Noctis. “I remember how you met with Iris when you were young. Coincidence, wasn’t it?”

“So, it would mean that Noct has already met his girl, because all fateful meetings happen randomly, like in fairy tales?” Prompto tilted his head, looking serious while chewing his lip.

Ignis gave a small laugh at Prompto.

“Something like that.”

Noctis had a deep shadow running on his face, his frown tightening.

“…It is possible,” he breathed out after a short silence. “I’m just not sure how I feel about marrying my friend, who happens to be Gladio’s sister,” he admitted with a hesitant voice, his eyes cast down to his feet.

“What, you don’t want a brother-in-law like me?” Gladio looked slightly miffed.

Noctis didn’t reply, but stayed in his thoughts, not hearing what Ignis, Gladio and Prompto were discussing regarding Gladio’s suggestion. The longer he thought about Gladio’s suggestion, the clearer he knew he had to try this. This was the closest he had yet gotten to his goal in this Divine Mission. Iris would definitely fit the picture and Noctis did find her cute – and if she was anything like her older brother, she would be magnificent queen with determination and tenderness in her heart. Getting even deeper into his mind Noctis tried to picture himself on the wedding aisle with Iris at his right side and frankly, it didn’t feel bad. Awkward? Yes, definitely. A possibility? Absolutely, the best shot they currently had. Would Iris like it? Noctis wasn’t sure, but he hoped she would take it well, after the initial shock.

“What do you think, Noct?”

Prompto’s question made Noctis turn his head towards him, humming in a questioning tone.

“Great, he wasn’t listening,” Gladio groaned angrily, throwing his arms in the air.

“What?” Noctis whined back at him.

“Should we pay a visit to Iris?” Prompto asked, his gaze locked on Noctis.

He shifted in his seat, scratching his head.

“Well, I guess we should. I mean, what’ve we got to lose? If it’s Iris, then we’re done. If it’s not her, then we have to continue.”

“And the faster the better, I propose. If it turns out to be a failed attempt, we’ve got more time with the real bride hunt, even when we’re not currently in a hurry. I’m thinking of this more from Iris’s point of view,” Ignis explained, getting everyone’s agreement.

“I suggest we meet somewhere other than in Insomnia. Maybe in Cape Caem? It’s a private place, out from the view of others, and it won’t cause commotion the same way the prince returning to Insomnia apparently empty handed would. That would need the PR team to give a report to the media and we want to avoid the media as much as possible,” Gladio offered and everyone agreed with him too.

“Ignis can drive us there. After that I borrow the Regalia and go pick Iris up from Insomnia. The Prince’s car arriving in Insomnia could cause some commotion, but if it’s just me, maybe the media will ignore it,” he continued, turning his head to Ignis.

Ignis nodded back with a hum.

“Let’s start this mission tomorrow morning. Should we tell Iris about this beforehand?” he asked.

“Let’s not,” Gladio murmured, “It’s better she hears it from Noct himself.”

For the first time after he had left home, Noctis was feeling somewhat hopeful with this mission. Maybe marrying a friend wouldn’t be such a bad idea, if she turned out to be the one.

“I’ll tell her,” Noctis promised with a sure voice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to note this chapter was written A LONG before the FFXV carnival and Noctis's awkward dancing - I was so happy to see my headcanon is canon!


	8. Iris Amicitia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Prompto teaches Noctis something important.

The salty sea wind had been playing for an hour or so with Noctis’s dark mane, messing it completely when Noctis heard someone approaching his view post at the Cape Caem’s lighthouse’s side. He knew who the approaching person was without even turning around.

“What’s up?” he asked, being greeted back with a short chuckle.

“Nothing much. Just checking you out,” Prompto was swinging his arms back and forth next to his sides, smiling.

“Take a pic, it lasts longer,” Noctis smirked without tearing his gaze away from the vast sea.

Prompto hit Noctis’s behind angrily with an open palm, causing Noctis to jolt.

“Ha, ha,” he replied dryly, but couldn’t fight back the smile.

“By the way, you still owe me that ass pic,” Noctis kept smirking mischievously, turning his head to Prompto.

“Any day now, it will be a surprise,” Prompto whispered, drawing a circle mimicking a magical dust ring around Noctis’s head with his palms.

“Can’t wait.”

“Anyway, good to see you are in a better mood. You were rather silent the whole way here. Is it about Iris?” Prompto took a place next to Noctis, leaning against the iron handrail with his elbows.

Noctis leant down on his elbows, too.

“Sorry, I’ve just been thinking about this whole thing. Especially how I’m supposed to tell the right woman apart from the wrong ones?” he murmured sullenly. “I mean, I could ask Shiva, but I’ve only got two questions left and I can’t bring every single ‘Might Be This One’-option in front of her. I gotta save the questions.”

“Yeah, that’s an issue, especially when the Astrals won’t point out the right person either,” Prompto nodded, his eyes on the scenery. “I have something that could perhaps work, though,” he looked hopeful.

“You do?” Noctis asked, surprised.

An awkward smirk appeared on Prompto’s face and he dropped his chin, kicking dirt with the tip of his black boot.

“Well, it’s kind of a stupid thing, but why not try to kiss them?”

“What?” Noctis was even more surprised now, his voice rising rapidly with the question.

“I mean that… kisses are quite magical, aren’t they? At least in fairy tales. They wake people up from slumber, turn Behemoths into humans and you remember the story of the cursed Cactuar, who needed to get five kisses from five different people to get its fatal curse lifted?” Prompto explained shyly.

“I don’t know about that…” Noctis wasn’t really into Prompto’s solution, but Prompto continued nevertheless, turning his head hastily in Noctis’s direction.

“It’s silly, I told you so much! But, what if it works? I’ve heard that when you kiss the person your heart and soul truly loves, it’s something beyond any words. Your head spins, your legs go weak, you forget everything around you and your heart starts to play samba.”

“Samba? Why not mambo?” Noctis teased Prompto.

Prompto tilted his head towards his shoulder with a sheepish grin.

“Well, mambo then.”

“…So you say I should kiss all the women we meet? Just like that?” Noctis returned back to the topic, his face all murky and sour. He really wasn’t into Prompto’s suggestion, not at all.

“No, only the ones you are unsure of. Like ‘I like her but I can’t tell’ or ‘There’s something about this lady that intrigues me’ or whatever similar,” Prompto cleared up his suggestion. “And if they say no, you can tell them that this is a matter of a national and international security,” he nudged Noctis’s side playfully.

It made Noctis to chuckle a bit, but his serious face stayed on. He looked far into the glistening sea, listening to the seagulls’ cries echoing from the stony wall of the lighthouse’s rock. He had to admit that Prompto’s suggestion was better than no suggestion at all, but he really wasn’t going to buy it, at least not that easily.

“There has to be some other way to tell,” he murmured his thoughts out loud, “I can’t go randomly kissing people…”

“Oh yeah, you probably haven’t kissed anyone yet,” Prompto pointed out thoughtfully, nodding eagerly at his own statement.

Noctis’s face dropped, his cheeks flushing red in a second.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked, his voice breaking apart into a high pitched whine.

Prompto was honestly surprised. He looked at Noctis with lips apart for a while till he burst into a warm giggling, patting Noctis’s shoulder gently.

“I mean that it does suck that you’ll have your first kiss, the most important kiss, with someone random. Not as a romantic gesture but as a measurement to tell if this is the partner given by Shiva,” he grinned boyishly, his voice somewhat apologetic.

Noctis pushed Prompto’s hand away with a groan, his cheeks still faintly tinted with red.

“I didn’t say I’d do that,” he hissed hurt.

“I know, I know! Just suggesting,” Prompto defended himself sheepishly, “It’s your call. You know, maybe there is some other way to tell the right one from the wrong ones, like you said. I just don’t have tiniest clue of what it would be or how you could tell, except the kissing.”

They were back at the start, once again, and it didn’t soothe Noctis’s feverish mind at all.

“We’ll figure something out,” he simply replied, not being sure whether they actually would. Right now he had to believe it. Believe in himself and in his entourage.

“Maybe Ignis knows something?” Prompto pondered out loud after they had remained quiet with Noctis for a while.

“Perhaps…”

“That man can cook up anything, so maybe he cooks you a way to test the bride options, which you can’t tell immediately ‘nope, not this’”, Prompto almost sing-sang, clearly happy that he could have been some help to Noctis, at least from his own point of view. “I’ll go get him!”

Before Noctis could stop Prompto, the guy had run away from the sightseeing post and was speeding down the hill, gravel and sand rising in the air as small clouds from his boots. Defeated, Noctis accepted his destiny, and turned around towards the sea, waiting for Ignis. Like a good servant he was, Ignis was beside Noctis within a few minutes.

“I heard you had something on your heart, your Highness,” Ignis spoke calmly, his head tilted to Noctis’s side.

“Yeah, I don’t know how I can tell that this woman is the right one, if I’m unsure of her myself. Is there any way to tell these unsure cases apart?” Noctis cut the chase and went straight to the subject with a beaten sigh.

Ignis lifted his chin up and hummed thoughtfully.

“That is a good question. Have there been any unsure cases so far? Someone who would have stayed in the back of your head after the meeting?”

“Uh, well…” Noctis tottered, shifting his weight to another leg while leaning against the railing. “I’m a bit unsure of Iris…” he muttered shyly.

“So, she does ring some bells. That’s a good sign,” Ignis smiled softly.

“But I don’t know if she rings them hard enough,” Noctis was feeling utterly awkward, but he knew he had to talk about this. “How can I tell if she’s the one?”

“Have you thought about asking Shiva?”

“Yeah, I have but… I’ve only got two questions and we have no idea how long this trip is going to take. I’d like to save the questions for an emergency. I need to have some other way to determine the Right One. I mean, what if it’s anything like Love At First Sight, but something with only some little interest? How to tell difference between interest and the beginning of a marital journey? What would you do if you were me?”

“That is a valid point,” Ignis agreed with Noctis. He fell into a silence, face thoughtful, lips pressed together. “As cliché as it is, probably the only right way to find out is to listen to your heart. Very vague, I’m afraid, but when love is supposed to happen between two individuals, it will happen.”

“…Should I give some time to Iris, then?” Noctis sounded even more unsure than earlier. His face had darkened more and Ignis gave him a compassionate look.

“I’d say let’s see how the thing goes, at least for now. If you come into a complete halt, I’d call that an emergency and you can use one of the questions,” Ignis encouraged his protégé.

Noctis didn’t know what to actually reply back so he just nodded with a short hum. Ignis did have a point there, just like Prompto did with his kiss theory. Both of them equally vague and one couldn’t call them scientific methods, not in any circumstances, but Noctis slowly started to accept that these were his only options right now.

“Anything else?”

Noctis shook his head at Ignis.

“Iris will be here later this evening. We have to get to the point quickly, but if I can suggest, I’d recommend you to do it somewhere private. Not to embarrass the young lady in front of many curious eyes,” Ignis said, gesturing then at the sea, “How about here. Take her here for a little chat when the stars are visible and the sea is dark. It looks like it’s going to be clear evening.”

“Yeah, I could do that,” Noctis smiled a bit, “Gotta think about Iris’s feelings, too.”

“Absolutely. True words of a king.”

Noctis spent most of the day at that same spot, alone, a deep frown from thinking almost permanently drawn on his forehead. He declined Ignis’s dinner offer, saying he wasn’t hungry, and just stared at the sea and the sky, which changed its colors slowly to tones of red and orange together with the setting sun. The lower the sun dropped, the more anxious Noctis became. Even Prompto seemed to sense that he really didn’t want any company right now, since the chocobo haired blond didn’t pop out from the lighthouse any more after running away to get Ignis to Noctis’s aid.

With a deep sigh Noctis had to admit he was utterly and absolutely nervous about meeting Iris. Where did that feeling come from, Noctis couldn’t say. Maybe Iris was the one and he was feeling it? Maybe she wasn’t the one and he was feeling the pressure on his shoulders for getting Iris involved in his mission out of the blue? When he finally heard the car pulling up the sandy road of the lighthouse, and Gladio’s and Iris’s voices chattering playfully after the car had pulled under the stony stairway leading to the lighthouse’s door, Noctis had to pep talk himself to actually turn around and go to greet them.

“You’ve got this,” he whispered to himself when he spotted the siblings. He, as a Prince of Lucis, should at least act upon his title and go to see Iris.

Iris noticed Noctis from far away and waved her hand happily at him.

“Hi, Noctis! Sorry we’re kind of late!” she yelled and Noctis returned the wave with a small chuckle.

“You’re perfectly on time,” he said when he finally caught up with them, accepting Iris’s warm hug. He noticed Gladio’s intense stare, understanding that the older brother was worried of his sister.

“What’s going on?” Iris pulled back from the hug, eyes on Noctis’s face, her expression curious, “Gladdy didn’t tell me anything. Just said it was important and that I should meet up with you.”

“Well, it is important,” Noctis replied, feeling a sort of soft fondness in his chest. “Let’s go have a little chat.”

He reached out his arm and took a hold of Iris’s palm, all to her surprise. Her face turned to different shades of red, and she stammered looking for something to say. She turned to Gladio, and got an approving nod from him.

“I’ll go inside. Ignis is probably planning some dinner for us. And Noct,” his attention focused on Noctis, eyes serious, “I believe in you with this.”

“I’ve got it,” Noctis hummed back, and the confusion on Iris’s face just grew stronger.

“Alright you guys, what’s going on…?” she stretched her words with cocked eyebrow, still blushing.

“You’ll find out soon,” Noctis smiled back at her tenderly, hoping it would ease up Iris’s mind. Or was it his mind he was trying to ease?

With unsure steps and awkward look on her face Iris followed Noctis up the hill, hand in his hand. Noctis wasn’t sure how to tell Iris everything, but he reasoned it was perhaps a good idea to be modest and honest. As they reached the sightseeing spot, he let go of her hand and leaned his back against the iron railing, clearing his throat.

“So…” he began nervously.

“I’m listening,” Iris replied, hands behind her back, swaying her hips from side to side nervously.

“Alright, but before I start, this was Gladio’s idea,” Noctis defended himself, maybe with a bit too loud of a voice. It amused Iris and she laughed out loud.

“Oh no, what has Gladdy done now?” she giggled and Noctis was glad to see she didn’t seem so dead nervous anymore.

“You know about my Divine Mission, right?”

“Uh-huh. I was there.”

“And I remember you saying I should give you a call if you could help me somehow,” Noctis added.

“Ah, got me there! I did,” Iris scratched her head impishly.

“So, I do need your help. I think. Well, Gladio thinks… Uh… I think we all think…” he tried to find the right way of telling her.

“Sure, anything,” she nodded eagerly with pink cheeks.

Noctis focused on the ground under his feet. Damn, it was harder to say it out loud than he had anticipated.

“We were listing down the possible traits and such of the Divine Spouse and… we sort of came into a conclusion that… it could be you,” he tried to place his words as carefully as possible without any unnecessary chase.

All the blood from Iris’s face disappeared, only to be rushed back in a second with a blush which reached up to her hairline.

“Wait, what?!” she gasped, hands over her mouth. “You think I’m your bride?!”

Noctis hummed approvingly, accompanying his statement with a short but sure nod. Iris’s hands were trembling.

“What? Me?” she tottered.

“You are one of the Amiticias, Gladio’s sister. We’ve known each other for years now and we live in the same city. By all means you’d make a good queen of Lucis,” Noctis listed out the reasons.

“That’s…! I really…! I have to go!” Iris shrieked with a gasp, turning on her heels and dashing down the hill, leaving Noctis behind calling her name in vain. He looked at her running away like a Bomb was chasing her, and cursed himself.

What had he even been thinking? That she’d take it lightly or say ‘I’ve been thinking the same’?  Of course it would shock her but Noctis hadn’t really expected such a strong reaction from her.

It was clear she was still only 15. So very young.

Utterly beaten and scared of what would come next Noctis started to descend from the hill, kicking the dirt on his way down. Iris wasn’t anywhere to be seen anymore and he reasoned it was probably best if he let her cool down a bit. Give her some time to really digest everything she had just been told. He stopped in front of the small house next to the lighthouse, looking around once more in hopes of catching a glimpse of Iris, and took then a very, very deep breath.

“You’ve got this,” he pep-talked to himself, going for the front door and pulling it open.

Gladio’s, Ignis’s and Prompto’s eyes were immediately on Noctis when he stepped inside and their hopeful looks turned into worry when Iris wasn’t with Noctis.

“She ran away,” Noctis blurted out before anyone got to say anything.

“I’ll go speak to her,” Gladio said with a frown, getting up from his seat and pushing past Noctis to go outside. Noctis felt horribly guilty.

“What happened?” Prompto’s voice was both curious and worried. Noctis didn’t know whether he worried for him or Iris more.

“I told her what we thought about her and she didn’t take it well,” Noctis replied, sitting down on a chair next to Prompto. He brushed his fingers through his dark hair, cussing, “Damnit…”

“I’m sure you did your best. Such news would be a shock to anyone,” Ignis soothed Noctis brotherly, “Let’s let Gladio handle the rest.”

“I didn’t want to upset her,” Noctis kept muttering, feeling sullen and sad. His chest was tight and he kept pondering if he should have given the news to Iris with some other words. Had he been too straightforward? Should he have made the mood a bit more romantic? He and romance really didn’t get along that well. Why hadn’t Ignis given more detailed tips of how to handle the talk with Iris? Why the hell hadn’t he thought about asking for that from Ignis?

“I’m sure Iris understands. She’s smart,” Prompto kept nodding his head, his hairstyle bouncing with the nods. His lips, however, were pressed tight.

“While we wait for Gladio and Iris to get back, may I suggest some food for your Highness? You haven’t eaten the whole day,” Ignis pointed out, already up from his chair and heading towards the kitchen.

“I’ve been just too frigging nervous,” Noctis mumbled, rubbing his hands together. He was angry and anxious. Something he couldn’t hide from Prompto.

“Dude,” Prompto sighed, jumping up from his seat and landing to sit on Noctis’s chair’s armrest. “Is Iris making you nervous?” he asked, placing his arm casually on the back rest.

“I don’t know if it’s her or Gladio,” he tried to joke it off, but Prompto narrowed his blue eyes, leaning closer to Noctis’s head.

“Maybe it’s love,” he sighed, sounding more menacing than supportive, “or at least a little crush. Iris’s so heads over heels for you.”

“No she’s not and no it’s not,” Noctis stammered, getting the answers in wrong order. His hand rubbing had gotten faster.

“Oh man, you’re so blind…! I’m starting to worry you wouldn’t recognize the right woman if she dropped straight into your arms!” Prompto threw his head backwards with a whine, his eyebrows knitting upwards.

“… I’m starting to worry the same…” Noctis accompanied Prompto’s comment, his eyes forlorn and distant. “How the hell can I really tell the right one apart from the wrong ones?”

“The kiss, the kiss,” Prompto cried out like a ghost with vibrating voice. It didn’t cheer Noctis up and quickly Prompto got more serious, too.

“Ignis didn’t have any answer, either. He told me about your chat. I can’t help you more than with the kiss stuff. Sorry, bro,” he apologized, his hands crossing in his lap while he balanced himself on the narrow armrest.

“No need to. This is my journey. My mission. My battle,” Noctis sighed.

The front door opened and Gladio walked in with Iris behind him. Iris looked more or less spooked, trying to figure out where to avert her eyes so that she wouldn’t need to come face to face with anyone.

“Oh, miss Iris,” Ignis was back in the room, with a plate of sandwiches. “How are you feeling?”

“Fine, Ignis, thank you. Prompto,” she nodded a greeting to Prompto’s direction, earning a wide grin and bright hello from him.

“I’m sorry, Noctis,” she said before Noctis got to apologize first. “I needed some time to think.”

“It’s fine. That came rather out of the blue,” Noctis accepted the apology. Ignis was urging him to take the sandwiches he had made, placing the plate on the table before Noctis.

“To be honest, we’re all as dazed as you are,” Gladio said with a sure voice, pushing Iris gently from back toward the chairs. “But we have to take all the possibilities seriously. It’s not about us, but this country.”

“Right,” Iris nodded with a soft smile, giving out a feeling that whatever they had talked with Gladio, it had soothed her mind in some level. She sat down on the free chair left behind by Prompto, Ignis appearing in front of her with the sandwich offer immediately. She took the offered food gladly.

“So, what next?” Prompto asked curiously, his head turning back and forth between Noctis and Iris.

“Quite frankly, I have no idea. We can’t present Iris to Shiva at Insomnia if she’s not the right bride option, as it will be taken as a failure of the Divine Mission on Noctis’s part. We’ve got literally only one shot,” Ignis looked bothered, though he tried his best to hide it and act calm.

“And we don’t have many options on how to verify the bride’s rightfulness,” Prompto bit his lower lip.

“Yeah, this is weird. And scary,” Iris agreed, her gaze still down at the floor, her fingers fumbling with the sandwich. “But, if this is my path, I’ll see through it, like a real Amicitia.”

“Could we call Luna and ask for some confirmation?” Gladio leaned against his thighs, tapping his fingers together.

“That will be taken as usage of one of the given questions, unless we just ask Lunafreya’s opinion as a private person, not as an Oracle between the prince and the Gods,” Ignis replied.

“She probably knows as little as we do,” Noctis agreed, defeated. He hadn’t yet touched any of the sandwiches Ignis had made for him.  

“And if she did know something, we don’t know if the Astrals forbade her from telling, just like with this theme of Noctis’s personal mission. It would be cheating if Noctis had more than three questions he can get an answer to,” Ignis continued, causing Gladio’s frown to grow stronger.

“Point taken.”

“I’d say we sleep over this for a night and think more about our next move in the morning when we’re more refreshed,” Ignis clapped his hands together. Everyone agreed on it, especially Iris.

Noctis couldn’t help the heavy feeling of pressure whirling restlessly in his stomach. Prompto was swinging his leg next to Noctis and he wished he could be as positive and carefree as Prompto in this situation. If this went any longer like this, like a walk in the darkness with no direction on where to head to, Noctis would definitely take Prompto’s kissing suggestion in use.

Ignis turned his head to Iris. “If Miss Iris likes, you can use the bathroom first and take a long, hot bath. I think it would be soothing to you.”

“I will. Thank you, Ignis.”

“Will you be sleeping between me and Noct this night?” Prompto kept teasing Iris with a flirty grin, all to Gladio’s dismay.

“I’ll choose Gladdy,” she replied back wittily, earning a defeated groan from Prompto.

“Watch it,” Gladio grunted at Prompto, who just rubbed the back of his head with a giggling chuckle.

When Iris was gone to the bath and they could hear the bath water running, Ignis lifted his glasses off from his face and sighed sadly.

“She’s still way too young,” he muttered, earning nods in a unison from rest of the group.

“I’m surprised she took the news so hard,” Gladio groaned, crossing his fingers and leaning against his elbows, palms rising before his mouth.

“What did she say? If I may,” Noctis had to ask.

“She was just shocked about the possible marriage. Can’t blame her though. It’s a completely different story to daydream about dating Lucis’s Prince than actually hearing you might be supposed to marry him and rise to be a queen at the age of 18, when you have barely even lived your life yet,” Gladio answered with narrowed eyes, murmuring against his palms.

“With all due respect, Gladio, I’m afraid Iris needs to mature more until we can even announce the engagement, if she’s the one, as smart as she is,” Ignis look was almost sorrowful.

“Yeah, I feel the same,” he replied, his eyes locking at Noctis’s face. “How about you, Noct?”

“Something’s off with this all and I can’t tell what it is,” he answered truthfully.  

“Like what?”

“Like…” he began, gesturing the air with his palms in search of how to put everything in the words, “Like I can’t tell if I could really love her or if I’m going after a wrong choice. Both options feel very equal to me right now. Iris is important and I’d hate to get her too deep into this mess, especially if she’s not the one.”

“So, you like her?” Gladio asked and for a second Noctis was afraid to answer.

“Yeah, kinda?” he offered, unsure if Gladio would get upset or not.

“Hmmm, both of you liking each other… That is a promising start,” Gladio replied, straightening his back.

“There’s a possibility that with some time and care this could bloom into a good relationship. Maybe a few romantic evenings between you two to see how it goes and if the feelings are mutual” Ignis smiled, pleased.

“You are planning this like I didn’t exist. Again,” Noctis complained, getting soothed by Prompto’s hand patting his head. `

“There, there, I’ll teach you all the tricks to make the chicks go weak from their legs.”

“You?” Noctis snorted through his nostrils.

Prompto wasn’t affected by Noctis’s tone at all.

“I’ve got excellent experience in dating games,” he announced proudly, hand over his heart.

“You mean the virtual games, not face-to-face games?” Gladio murmured.

“Yep!” Prompto nodded surely.

Somehow Prompto’s experience wasn’t that warmly welcomed by others. Instead all of them started to slowly get ready for bed. Getting to sleep was the best part of the day for Noctis, as it meant time for himself without any need to hunt a woman here and another one there. It was the only moment of the day when he wasn’t constantly plagued by the thoughts of possible failure and feelings of how unfair this mission was for him when compared to his ancestors’ missions. He had to be the unluckiest of all Lucis with the Divine Mission.

He took the room with a big bed with Prompto, while Ignis shared the room with Gladio and Iris. Noctis would have wanted to be alone for this night, but Prompto’s sheer positive spirit felt too soothing to ignore.

“We’re always sharing a bed nowadays,” Prompto pursed his lips thoughtfully as they had said good night to everyone, including Iris, who had arrived back from the bath, her wet hair making her even cuter than usual.

“You mind?” Noctis was pulling his boots off with both hands, sitting on the bed’s edge.

“Nope. You?”

“Not at all.”

“Good, then I’ll take this side of the bed,” Prompto had somehow already managed to strip himself down to his boxers and was crawling underneath the blanket. His face got serious all of a sudden.

“They’ve got only one duvet. Let me check the cupboards,” he stood back up and started to rummage through the room in his underwear.

Noctis took his jacket off, then pulling his shirt over his head, shaking his head afterwards. He made a mental note to ask Iris to trim his bangs when they got too long, now that she was here. Maybe he’d got a chance to talk with her more during it.

“Nothing here. I’ll go ask from Ignis,” Prompto was already going out from the door, but Noctis yelled after him.

“Your pants!”

“…Oh yeah, better not to shock Iris more,” he turned back around his heels, hastily pulling the pants on and leaving the belt hanging free.

Noctis looked after Prompto’s hurrying with a small frown but said nothing. He undressed himself, reminding himself also about getting new socks for tomorrow, and curled under the duvet. Prompto was gone longer than he anticipated and he finally returned with a face of a loser.

“They don’t have more duvets. Iris was kindly offering hers but I declined,” Prompto shut the door behind him with a groan.

“Good boy,” Noctis complimented him, eyes closed.

“I guess we share, again?”

“Fine by me.”  
  
Prompto switched the bright ceiling light to the night stand light with a blue colored, floral patterned shade, murmuring pleased when the soft light illuminated the room. Noctis kept listening how he rustled himself under the duvet right next to Noctis. He turned over on his left side, meeting face to face with Prompto’s smiling face.

“Good thing the nights next the sea are cooler already. Otherwise it would be really hot to share the bed,” he grinned.

“I wonder how poorly Iris fits into the bed with Gladio,” Noctis snorted, making also Prompto snort. His eye had a pitiful look all over them.

“Poor Iris!” he whispered with another snort.

“She’ll probably kick Gladio down to the floor or something similar,” Noctis kept imagining.

“Wonder if she’d do the same to you if you were married?” Prompto asked.

Noctis’s grin disappeared instantly and he shifted under the duvet, his expression kind of bothered when marriage was mentioned.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to trouble you,” Prompto was quick to catch on Noctis’s mood, his chin dropping down. Noctis couldn’t see it, but he felt how Prompto was fumbling with his fingers underneath the duvet. He always did that when he got upset or unsure.

“No harm done. I’m just… a bit nervous about Iris. About this all. This is… Oh man, it’s so close and yet if we screw this up, we screw the whole nation,” Noctis said.

“Yeah, this mission is kind of a sick one,” Prompto agreed, despite he had thought otherwise in the beginning. “But I guess Divine Missions are always troublesome and challenging but hey, there’s a really nice price at the end, if you want to think on the bright side of it.”

Noctis couldn’t feel blue too long in Prompto’s presence. It soothed him in a way nothing did, but he couldn’t bring himself up to say that out loud for him.

“So, have you thought about kissing her?” Prompto brought up the subject from the morning suddenly.

In a second Noctis’s face flushed slightly and he shifted deeper under the duvet, biting his lower lip.

“Yeah. A lot,” he gave up with a quiet mumble, face all red.

“Quite scary, isn’t it?” Prompto crept closer.

“…Have to give you that. I don’t even know how you’re supposed to kiss girls, and Iris… well, it will be awkward, I think?” Noctis didn’t sound so sure about the plan.

“It’s worth trying at least, for everyone’s sake. I think Iris understands,” Prompto assured his friend.

Noctis’s lips pressed into a very, very thin line, his eyes darkening.

“I bet she hasn’t kissed anyone either. Feels unfair to kind of just…. you know… rob her first kiss like that. You know?”

Prompto hummed but looked bright nevertheless, his head popping up and down in a series of quick nods.

“I also think she hasn’t kissed anyone. You probably even can’t do it that well with the Hawkeye Big Brother nearby, but I’ve got a hunch she won’t mind it being you,” he smiled at Noctis widely.

Prompto’s assurance had had no effect on Noctis. He only sank deeper under the duvet, his face darkening ever more.

“What if I suck at it?” he finally hissed, looking extremely troubled, eye fixated on one invisible spot before him. “What if I drool all over her face? Or hit her face with my nose? Where do you even put your nose when you kiss someone? What if I scare her or kiss her like a dead fish? Who wants such a first kiss?” he kept blabbering nervously.

“Don’t worry, it can’t be that bad. Just go with the flow,” Prompto pushed his arm under the pillow, eyes staying on Noctis’s troubled face.

“Perhaps you haven’t noticed it, but I’m not really good at going with flows,” Noctis groaned, “How do I even read the atmosphere right? I mean, I can’t just go and ask her to do it!”  
  
“Sure you can. Just make sure you are alone somewhere nice and she feels comfortable around you,” Prompto kept comforting Noctis.

“You think so?” Noctis stuttered, falling them into a short silence. “…Alright, maybe it’s not too bad.”

“It won’t be, trust me.”

“…But it still bothers me, the kiss! I don’t know how to do it! What if she waits for something like a super romantic kiss and I just embarrass us both?” Noctis was back in the whining mood in a second, clearly bothered by the whole ordeal. “Should I practice with the back of my hand or what? God, where do I place my hands when we kiss so that she doesn’t get any wrong idea and Gladio won’t behead me afterwards?”

Prompto was utterly amused by Noctis freaking out in front of him, so much he couldn’t fight the laughter he had tried to suppress.  Noctis himself wasn’t amused but hissed angrily at laughing Prompto.

“Oh man, Noct. If it bothers you that much, I’ll teach you. I’ll show you how it’s done,” Prompto cackled.

The room got so quiet one could have heard a needle dropping down the floor. Noctis’s eyes widened making him look like a deer in headlights. He kept staring at Prompto’s face in a disbelief, expression utterly shocked.

Hastily Prompto took his words back.

“I mean not like the first kiss way! I mean…. like, you know… Help you out somehow?” he stuttered with red tinted face, looking very embarrassed, like he would have realized only now what he had suggested to Noctis.

“Help me out? By kissing?” Noctis murmured his left eye brow cocking, unable to hide his own blushed cheeks.

Prompto seemed to blush a bit more and his lips opened awkwardly.

“…I’m useless otherwise,” he whispered weakly, the atmosphere changing completely around him. “I have been causing only trouble to you with my misfortune and to compensate that I dragged you to that party which you hated. I can’t even figure out any way to help you with this mission. So… If I can… help you with Iris…” his voice was barely audible.

Noctis opened his mouth to speak, but Prompto shot his head up, his pale eyebrows twisting upwards.

“Of course, I understand if kissing guys isn’t your thing!” he added.

“Wait, wait, wait!” Noctis stopped him. He smirked a bit, trying to ease the tension in the air. “Are you sure you want to have your first kiss from a guy?”

“…To be honest, I’ve had my first already,” Prompto looked shy to talk about it. Noctis, however, couldn’t leave such a juicy detail unheard. His head shot up.

“No way! When? With who?” he pestered Prompto, who looked genuinely freaked out.

”Oh, it’s not important,” he tried but Noctis wasn’t having it.

“You don’t say no to your prince. Tell me,” Noctis urged, eyes mischievous.

”Ah, well…. It was back in high school. You don’t know her. I swear you don’t, don’t give me that look! It was just someone who had a little crush on me and I thought I liked her back but it lasted… two weeks? Well, sorta play dating more than the real stuff I think,” Prompto opened up surprisingly easily.

“No way, you never told me.”

“Like I said, it wasn’t important.”

“I thought you’d saved your first kiss to someone special, romantic as you are,” Noctis mumbled, pressing his head back on the pillow.

“I thought so, too, but I was wrong,” Prompto hummed, his tone kind of sad.

“…Is that where you came up with this whole kiss suggestion with Iris and the others the first place?” Noctis’s blue eyes narrowed slowly.

“Yeah. Quite lame but… When I kissed that girl who I thought I liked back I felt… nothing. No fireworks, no happy feelings. Excitement yes, but it was quickly over and I remember thinking ’That’s it? So lame? This can’t be right’.” Prompto was now lying on his back, his hands drawing shapeless forms in the air as he spoke.

Noctis eyes narrowed even more.

“Was the girl feeling the same?”

“Yeah. I guess she was. We didn’t meet much after that anymore. Kissed a few times here and there but it felt as empty as with the first time. I reasoned this can’t be right and I guess she did the same, as she didn’t resist the idea of us going our separate ways,” Prompto kept explaining with a serious face. He nodded at himself a few times, clearly thinking about something, but Noctis felt he shouldn’t pry into this subject any deeper. He had already gotten a fair share of new information from Prompto. Somehow he liked the idea that he had learned something new about him.

“I must say that when you put your kiss suggestion into that context, it does make a hell of a lot more sense in some strange way,” Noctis pressed his lips together thoughtfully.

“I reasoned the same,” Prompto nodded yet again to himself, more vividly this time.

“However,” Noctis turned on his back, “I’m sorry but I need to turn your kissing offer down.”

Prompto’s face blushed at first and then he paled, eyes getting serious. He averted his gaze away from Noctis, the long eyelashes Noctis had paid attention to months earlier, casting small shadows on his cheeks.

“I understand. It’s okay, bro. After all, it was just a suggestion. A bad one,” Prompto sounded ashamed that he had even come up with something like that. Noctis chuckled at him softly and turned his back at him.

“Suggestions are always welcomed, even the bad ones,” he said, fidgeting his body into a more comfortable position. “Anyway, I’m going to try to sleep now.”

“Oh—Okay. I’ll turn off the light then. Sorry I said anything,” Prompto reached for the night stand lamp and switched it off with a little click.

Darkness, with a small light coming from the front door’s porch light at the outside, entered the room silently. Noctis closed his eyes and took a deep inhale, letting all the tension from his body flow out with the exhale. Prompto next to him laid down on his side, back turned to Noctis, who was a bit miffed the bed was too narrow for two people to sleep in there comfortably. He pondered if he could get any sleep this night at all. Iris kept pestering his mind, the mission banged the back of his head and Prompto’s warm body next to him was heating the space under the duvet slightly too warm for comfort. But what scared Noctis the most was the kiss and it annoyed the hell out of him. It wasn’t a big deal. Iris wouldn’t mind. He had learned she liked him, so wouldn’t it be nice for her to get kissed by him? By a real prince, of all people? He needed to know in one way or another if Iris was the one, as when he thought about Iris, there was a warm feeling in his chest, but Noctis wasn’t able to tell if it was enough. Was it brotherly love, was it tender care of Iris’s well-being, was it a beginning of a little crush or was it a hint of The Right One. All the options felt the same for Noctis and he was bummed, bummed down to his core.

Why he was making such a big deal out of it? Was he really this much of a coward, this clueless of romantic stuff? For Noctis, Prompto seemed to be in a completely different level in things regarding romance, love and girls.

He didn’t know how long he had stayed awake thinking and analyzing everything at hand, but no matter how hard Noctis tried, the sleep didn’t come.

“Prom-pom, are you sleeping?” Noctis whispered, getting a small snigger from Prompto.

“You haven’t called me that in ages,” Prompto croaked back.

“I know, you hate it,” Noctis smirked, but his eyes were serious. “Sorry if I woke you up, but please, tell me again how you kiss girls properly.”

Prompto turned to face Noctis, his eyes sleepy. He let out a deep sigh, which ran over Noctis’s ear and neck softly.

“You just put your lips together on her lips and give it a light suck,” Prompto replied frankly.

“T—That’s it?”

“Yeah. I mean, you’re not going for a deep tongue kiss with Iris, are you? I wouldn’t recommend that.”

Noctis’s face was getting warmer again and he cleared his throat.

“Hell no. Let’s stay with the basics,” he stuttered, not letting Prompto know that he wasn’t even sure whether he would like the whole kissing business in the first place. Wasn’t it a bit tacky?

“Never imagined you being a such a sly guy anyway,” Prompto smiled with a small hum. “Don’t sweat it. It will be easy. You’re making it a lot more difficult in your head than it is in reality.”

“I really don’t want to scare or traumatize her,” Noctis defended himself, not really knowing if he was saying that for Iris’s or his own sake, but Prompto just laughed at him.

“A first kiss doesn’t need to be anything superb. It rarely is. Kissing is like any talent really. You get better the more you practice. So, give it a rest and just go back to sleep. And don’t force yourself or Iris,” Prompto’s eyes shut with a yawn.

Noctis was staring at the dark wooden ceiling, palms crossed over his chest, his face dead serious.

“…Show me how it’s done.”

“What?” Prompto’s eyes opened.

“I mean, give me one lesson, one practice, before the real deal,” Noctis was waving his hands in a rather lively way, his face red and embarrassed. “I get it better if you show me. That’s how I learned to fight, so…” he murmured, glad that the room was dark and Prompto couldn’t see the heat on his face.

Prompto shifted up to his elbows, his eyes glued on Noctis, who did his best to not look back at him.

“You changed your mind?” he teased, earning an angry grunt and a glare from Noctis. He started to turn on his right side, but Prompto stopped him placing his hands on his shoulder.

“No, no, no, I was just kidding. Of course I’ll help you. It was my idea,” Prompto hastily explained.

“Don’t make this any worse than it already is,” Noctis hissed with a broken croak, looking like he was wishing for the floor to open up and swallow him whole.

“Dude, I haven’t been kissing guys before either, so we’re in the same boat. We can turn this boat back to shore, though.”

“No, no! Let’s just do it… No, I have to do this. For the sake of everyone.”

Noctis wished Prompto didn’t hear from his voice how nervous he actually was. But, like Ignis kept repeating, the King would have all kind of situations thrown at him, and he just needed to deal with them. This was one of them and Noctis soothed himself with the idea it was Prompto and not some random person, and that Iris would be happy if he could kiss her properly without drooling all over her or breaking her nose – which would lead to Gladio breaking his nose.

Prompto chucked softly, his voice suddenly jolting Noctis’s senses in a strange way.

“Okay then, Sleepy Prince. Close your eyes and concentrate on how it’s done. I repeat what I said earlier; lips on lips, softly and gently, and then a light suck. Learn from the pro.”

While Prompto did clearly have a lot more experience of kisses and such, Noctis almost wanted to argue back that he wasn’t a pro, not even close to it. Not that the worry of slopping Iris wouldn’t have been enough, as Prompto bend closer to Noctis in the darkness of the bedroom, Noctis shut his eyes and prayed he wouldn’t mess this one up either.

The time felt almost stopping itself as Noctis laid down on the mattress, nervously waiting for Prompto’s lips to connect with his. His heart was hammering in his chest with the power of a thousand drums and when Prompto’s warm mouth finally found his, Nostic froze, and his heart jumped up to his throat. Prompto’s fallen bangs tickled Noctis’s cheek and his warm breathing through the nose felt nice on his face, but what send chills down to Noctis’s spine was the way how gently, how tenderly, Prompto’s lips pressed against his. He gave a light suck at Noctis’s lower lip, and Noctis didn’t, surprisingly enough, feel that awkward about it. The small kiss was over sooner than Noctis thought, leaving his lips moist and parted. Prompto’s head lifted up and he let out a small chuckle.

“That’s how it’s done, but you know, you can’t just act like a roadkill with Iris’s kiss. You’ll be the one kissing her and if she takes the initiative, then you need to reply to her kiss. It’s a hell of an awkward situation to kiss a statue,” Prompto murmured, his voice all soft and sweet.

Noctis barely heard half of what he had said. His heartbeat was just too loud.

“That… wasn’t so bad. Or difficult,” Noctis sounded amazed.

Prompto just snorted through his nostrils. ”Well, if you don’t do anything it’s easy. Your turn now, champ. Show me what you learned.”

”My turn?” Noctis whimpered.

”Yeah.”

Unsurely Noctis reached up towards Prompto, his head full of what if-thoughts, smacking his lips on his a bit too hastily and forcefully. Immediately Prompto let out a protesting muffled groan and pushed Noctis back to the mattress.

“No, no, no!” he shook his head with a teacher-like voice, “Gently! Tenderly! Softly! You’ll break poor Iris’s lip open!”

”Sorry…”

”Listen. I’ll lay down and you do the work now,” Prompto’s barely visible face had a displeased expression and Noctis felt himself ashamed. He wanted to start his protesting again, but Prompto had already dropped on his back and was gesturing Noctis to bend into a kiss.

“Come one. Show me what you learned so I can tell if I need to show it to you again.”

Noctis was utterly amazed how casually Prompto took this, though he had been embarrassed earlier. Yet, he did what Prompto wanted, his lips quivering with nervousness. Doing his best, trying to remember what Prompto had done, Noctis captured Prompto’s lips, very shyly and softly this time. He tried to concentrate on everything; what was the right angle, what was the right pressure, would this be too much or too less of a suck, what if his saliva got all over the place, was his tongue going to wrong places. It was clear for him that he perhaps wasn’t doing that good of a job, as Prompto protested something without words and took a hold of Noctis’s head, guiding him to a right place.

As Prompto kissed him back, his hands on his cheeks, urging Noctis to relax and follow the flow - which he had mentioned earlier - Noctis dared to close his eyes properly and concentrate. Not to get the job well done, but to sense and feel everything. Prompto’s warm mouth, his soft lips, the small hum which rose from his throat with a pleased tone, traveling through Noctis’s spine down to his groins. The way he replied to his shy kiss without hesitation, drawing out an urge from Noctis to kiss Prompto deeper, his upper body bending even closer to Prompto’s bare chest. His head was getting empty, completely free from any troubles or thoughts, good or bad, and Noctis could only feel Prompto’s kiss, his mouth beautiful and somehow completely right against his. An alluringly husky moan escaped from Noctis’s mouth, earning back a whimpered groan from Prompto. He was sure a part of him died for that sound.

Noctis liked this. Liked this kissing business. Liked how Prompto’s arms had travelled around his neck, his head tilting for a deeper kiss, which Noctis followed a bit awkwardly. Noctis almost wanted to try if he could kiss Prompto with a tongue, if he could handle the second form of kissing, but Prompto broke the kiss, pulling away from Noctis. His lips lingered a bit too long on Noctis’s parted lips. His chest ached.

“I guess that will do it,” Prompto sighed quietly, his face warm and eyes soft. “Do that to Iris and you’ll sweep her legs off from the floor.”

Noctis was hovering over Prompto, his face burning, heart beating like he was dying, and there was an odd sensation creeping down to his lower stomach.

“You think so?” was the only thing he could say, keeping up his calm posture as well as possible. He could feel how his cheeks had flared up, all to way up to his ears.

“Yeah, you’ll manage. You’re quick to learn,” Prompto grinned, patting Noctis on his shoulder. He realized only now that he was lying almost half on top of Prompto, and quickly he shifted away from him. He tried to chuckle but it came out very dry.

“I had a good teacher,” he replied despite his embarrassment. “Don’t tell anyone, okay. Gladio will never stop tormenting us, especially me, if he hears.”

“Don’t worry, Noct. This is our secret. By the way, this won’t be counted as a first kiss, as it was a practice for your Highness to solve this mystery mission. You can say you save your true first kiss to someone more important,” Prompto noted, throwing the other side of the duvet over him.

Noctis sat on the bed, staring in front of him.

His first kiss.

No way he could act like this hadn’t mattered. It had been his first kiss. And with Prompto. Yet, he didn’t say anything because he didn’t want to act against Prompto’s will. Perhaps for him this hadn’t been anything unusual, he was experienced; but as Noctis crawled under the duvet next to a yawning Prompto, he couldn’t chase away the warm tingling on his lips - the moisture of Prompto’s mouth lingering there - nor the throbbing, itching sensation in his lower stomach.

He really did like it. This kissing business. It was thrilling and fun, and something which almost felt like a slightly forbidden thing for him to do.

He was already looking forward to show what he had learned to Iris.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for ChronicProcrastinator for proofreading <3


	9. Shiva Says...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Noctis meets another oracle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My proofreader fell into vicious flu and was unable to proofread this chapter until now. In cases like these, my proofreader health always comes first!
> 
> It might please you to know I have written multiple future chapters already and the story is so far doing very well in that sense :3
> 
> Thank you for Scorpiselli for proofreading! <3 It's a pleasure to work with you.

Noctis kept inspecting Iris curiously from a short distance; stretching his neck to see the reason why Iris had knelt down on the rock near the sea line and what she was reaching down for with little huffs and puffs. They had come to the windy rocks right after breakfast, sauntering lazily around the sea line and moving from one rock to another. Iris had spotted something and was now pulling it out from the water.

“Oh, it’s a gil!” she breathed out, rising up and showing Noctis her find. The gil looked rather new despite it being in the sea water for Astrals know how long. It glistened beautifully in the sunlight.

“Maybe someone thought it’d work like a Wishing Well if they tossed the coin into the sea?” Noctis suggested with a shrug.

“Hmm, could be,” Iris replied, inspecting the wet coin between her fingers carefully. Then she smiled at Noctis. “Should we try it? That Wishing Well with this coin?”

“Here?” Noctis asked surprised.

Iris nodded eagerly.

“Yeah. If nothing else, for the fun. I don’t know if Leviathan will be pleased if two people make a wish with a single gil – which has possibly already been used by someone else - but you never know if you don’t try,” her eyes were sparkling as she said that.

A smile spread faintly on Noctis’s lips.

“Well, I doubt Leviathan would need any money in the first place,” he noted somewhat slyly, causing Iris to burst into laughter.

“Point taken,” she replied with a chuckle; using the same phrase Gladio used to utter so often. She buried the coin into her right palm while standing straight, her head rising high. 

“Alright, Noct. Close your eyes and wish. I’ll do the same and when we’ve put our wishes out there, I’ll toss the coin.”

Noctis did as Iris wished; gathering a sense of playfulness in his chest. It was relaxing to be around Iris, despite their bumpy start last evening. She had the same lively, playful aura as Prompto, and Noctis pondered how much havoc those two would manage to cause if they were placed in the same room for too long. Hearing how Iris let out a sharp exhale as a sign she was ready with her wish, Noctis hastily made his wish: He wished that everything would go well with his mission.

He opened his eyes and nodded at Iris. She took a powerful stance, stretching her slim arm backwards behind her head as far as possible, and tossed the coin in to the sea. It easily flew far into the waves, a lot further than Noctis thought it would have.

“Wow. You sure are an Amicitia. That flew like a bullet from a gun,” he complimented Iris while looking at the sea, shielding his eyes with his hand.

Iris blushed slightly and chuckled.

“Thanks. Gladio has taught me some fighting tricks -just in case- and maybe I’ve become a bit stronger thanks to that. The daemon sightings have increased in the last months; not much, but anyway,” she explained, hands behind her back, swaying her body from side to side with a bowed head. “It’s sort of an Amicitia thing: The fighting.”

Noctis didn’t really know how else to answer that other than to agree with her statement. He kept staring out to the sea at the spot where the gil had landed; his hand lowering down to his side slowly.

“I wished this trip would end well,” he muttered as if being in his thoughts. Iris gasped dramatically, drawing her hands in front of her gaping mouth.

“Noctis! You’re not supposed to tell your wish until it’s come true!” she looked genuinely upset, jumping right under Noctis’s nose with puffed cheeks.

Noctis had to laugh at her warmly.

“I know. But it’s something that isn’t really a wish. It’s my destiny. My goal. I’m going to succeed in this mission. I have to, Iris,” Noctis said her name with a head-strong tone, like vowing an oath for her. Yet, there was something forlorn in his deep grey eyes when his gaze traveled back toward the sea.

“You’re right. I’m sorry,” Iris apologized, turning to look in the same direction as Noctis. “Do you really think I’d be the one?” she asked with a thin voice after a tiny pause. She was biting her lower lip unconsciously.

Noctis admired how gustily the sea wind tossed Iris’s brown hair around playfully, her side profile cute but her eyes sort of worried.

“I--It is a possibility,” he stuttered, suddenly very aware that he had basically promised to Prompto he’d kiss Iris, but he hadn’t yet told his plans to her. Prompto’s lips seemed to still ghost over his in a memory of last night’s practices.

“No, but what do you think? Not as a… not as a Prince of Lucis but as Noctis?” Iris cleared her question.

Noctis was unsure of what she was getting at, but he reached his arm out to ruffle the back of her hair with a smirk.

"It’d be fine. Fine for me, for the people of Lucis and also for Gladio, Ignis and Prompto. So don’t worry about it,” he replied assuring.

“… I know that Gladdy would be very happy if we got married,” Iris said with a little stammer in her voice. It made Noctis ponder if she was actually afraid of the idea of marriage.

To be honest, he hadn’t thought about the marriage part as much as he should have had to. He had concentrated on finding the Divine Partner like she was a treasure to be found after a long struggle; but that’s not what it was. She – his goal to be found - was his partner. His life partner. His lover, his beloved spouse, the queen he would marry and live rest of his life with. Someone he would rule with together over the lands and spend time in her arms, lovingly holding her back.

Suddenly Noctis also got scared of the idea of marriage. He pondered, was he really ready for such a big thing at the age of 20? He suspected Iris did feel scared for marriage. Maybe it was a more important and romantic thing for her than it was for Noctis?

“I’m sure Gladio would be happy about our marriage. Ecstatic,” Noctis replied back awkwardly, his chest feeling sort of tight and warm. “And you?”

Iris’s face blushed softly and she turned away from Noctis with a hasty step.

“Yeah. He’d probably break down in tears at the wedding,” Iris noted humorously to Noctis. After that she fell into a small silence. “…I’d be happy, too… But I don’t know if I’d be fitting for a queen,” she whispered with a barely audible voice.

Noctis’s heart was racing for Iris’s soft voice and the declaration. So, she didn’t mind being the one. She had said that yesterday already, but considering her feelings Noctis had wanted to make sure somehow that he wasn’t going to be dragging her into this against her will. Her saying that she’d be happy to be his wife assured Noctis that this was a good choice. This was the most wonderful option for all of them.

“I could see that working, though. Both of them; the marriage and the role of a queen,” Noctis said, his cheeks oddly warm. For the first time since leaving Insomnia he was feeling genuinely positive about his mission. He had hope in his heart. He really wouldn’t mind marrying Iris when she was old enough for that.

Iris laughed dryly, trying to sound amused.

“Please, I know you don’t mean that. I know nothing of marriages or ruling a nation.”

Noctis snorted.

“Of course I mean it. And you know, I don’t know much of marriages and nation ruling either, so we’d be in the same boat. We’ve got Gladio, Ignis, and Prompto helping us though. It would be like one big family.”

The notion made Iris giggle and she dared to turn back to face Noctis; her cheeks pink and eyes bright like two sunny spots glimmering on the tops of the waves.

“I like that idea, a big happy family. We could all be together,” she agreed dreamily, brushing her hair behind her ear.

They continued their walk, Noctis’s mood lightening up the longer they spent time together circling from stone to another, tossing rocks into the water and chatting casually. Noctis was feeling sort of awkward despite the warm fluttering in his chest, near his heart. He wished he was as romantic as Prompto was. As good at reading girls’ moods and behavior; or at least that was what Prompto claimed to be able to handle almost masterfully. Noctis, however, was as green as the beans he hated so much.

They had circled to the left side of the lighthouse, where the stony shoreline ended suddenly, turning into a soft sandy path. Tufts of thin, dry straw popped out here and there among the sand, and the waves washed over the narrow beach’s edge softly. Noctis followed Iris there and looked up to the cliff to see if anyone was spying on them. He knew the rest of the group was highly hopeful about the possibility of Iris being the Divine Spouse meant for him. Prompto’s suggestion of kissing Iris crossed his mind once more. Noctis squeezed his hands into fists, pondering when it would be the best time to ask that from Iris. How long he should wait and let them get more comfortable with each other? What if he missed his chance for not being able to either read the mood right or notice Iris’s hints? Or perhaps Iris was waiting for him to set up the mood be a very romantic one and he didn’t realize it?

Suddenly the light feeling in his heart was replaced with a darker tone. So dark Iris noticed it too.

“Noct, are you feeling okay?” she asked worriedly.

Hastily Noctis cleared his throat and smirked the best way he could.

“Nah, it’s nothing. The mission is just a bit unnerving, that’s all.”

“Hmmm, I bet it does give you a lot of pressure,” Iris nodded thoughtfully, crossing her arms. Then her eyes narrowed. “It would be best if you could finish your mission as fast as possible, right?”

“It would make my life easier,” he joked, a half-truth slipping out there.

Iris sighed, her expression serious and knowing.

“How do we proceed with this? What’s the next step?” Iris asked while biting her lower lip. She was looking Noctis underneath her upward curved eyebrows, her eyelashes framing her brown eyes elegantly.

Noctis shivered a bit, quickly calculating whether that was a worried expression or an invitation to get closer to her? To take her close and comfort her and set the mood for a kiss? Had she also been thinking about kissing him as the solution to their problem? Had Prompto somehow slipped such an idea to her also,  via text message maybe? Why did the kiss bother him so much…?

Noctis decided to go with option one and push his hands into his pants’ pockets instead of wrapping them around Iris. He kicked the sand with the tip of his black boot.

“I don’t know yet, but I’ll figure something out,” Noctis lied, not being able to bring up the kiss in the conversation. He was feeling embarrassed.  

Iris hummed in a supportive way, her hum loud and clear.

“I promise I’ll also try to think of ways to determine if I’m the one or not. It’s the least I can do to help you out; especially if she turns out to be someone other than me,” she said, her voice starting strong but getting quieter the longer she spoke. She pressed her chin down with a shy look, her cheeks getting rosy. “Though… I do wish it would be me… That was my wish,” Iris whispered with her face hidden from Noctis, fumbling her fingers bashfully.

Prompto was right, as was Gladio too; she did love him on some level. Whether it was only a crush, it didn’t matter to Noctis, for he knew that if Iris was the one, she’d be happy to stand next to him. She’d love him for who he was – Noctis – not as the prince of Lucis, not as a ticket to a better life or to a better status quo. It warmed Noctis’s heart, easing up his soul so much he stepped softly nearer Iris, and tenderly took hold of her tiny hand; a small gasp escaping from her lips as he did. He gave her a reassuring squeeze, glad and pleased when Iris replied to him with a bright smile, adjusting her hand so that she could take a better hold of his.

They didn’t say anything. Just stared at the sea, hand in hand, Noctis thinking hopefully how the end of his mission must be close.

 

 ------------------------------------------------

 

“Noct, did you kiss her yet?” Prompto was hissing like a snake into Noctis’s ear when Iris had gone outside with Gladio. Like Noctis, Iris also trained regularly with Gladio, but only the basics of fighting and self-defense.

“Nope,” Noctis hissed back, getting embarrassed when Prompto first whined, and then huffed at him angrily, his blue eyes flaming. “I couldn’t find a good time,” Noctis defended himself hastily in a low tone. They didn’t want Ignis in the next room to hear them.

“Bro, you gotta kiss her sooner or later! Better sooner, right? You said yourself you didn’t want to drag poor Iris deeper into this if she wasn’t the one – to give her false hope – and I sure as hell didn’t teach you last night so that you could chicken out when the time comes for you to be a proper man,” Prompto was basically lecturing Noctis, taking him off-guard. He blushed up to his ears when the kiss between him and Prompto was mentioned. He hadn’t been able to shake away the fact it had been – indeed – his very first kiss.

“Like I said, the timing wasn’t right,” Noctis repeated himself. Prompto half-way growled, annoyed.

“You were out with her for three hours or more! What did you even do? Hold her hand?”

Noctis blinked.

“Yeah, for a few minutes.”

Prompto groaned deep from his throat while letting his head drop backwards. “A few minutes?! By the Astrals, I have the lousiest student ever. I’m starting to understand Gladio!” he kept whining sadly.

Miffed, Noctis slapped Prompto on his upper arm with a sharp hit.

“You said it yourself - I shouldn’t force myself on her!” he hissed.

“I still don’t mean forcing, but you gotta try harder! For Iris’s sake! You could have held her hand for two hours, maybe take her under your arm at the beach if she was up to it – and knowing Iris she would have been. You know ‘Oh, the sea breeze is sorta chilly, come here Iris, it’s warmer like this’” Prompto kept whisper arguing back at Noctis.

Noctis’s eyes narrowed, because it sounded Prompto was more concerned for Iris than him. Somehow it didn’t feel good to Noctis.

“I’ll try Ignis’s method and take her to the beach again when the sun has set and the sky is romantic. To watch some stars and to hold hands. Would that please you, Teacher?”

“Yes, tremendously, and try to get a little bit closer to her. She’s a bit timid now because of the scary thought of becoming a queen, I’m sure of it, so you most likely need to take the initiative. If she wasn’t scared of her possible future now, she would have been glued onto you already, based on what I know about girls and Iris,” Prompto was pointing his finger at Noctis with his freckle-covered nose wrinkling.

Noctis didn’t say anything, just looked troubled and sour, his lower lip tight. He chewed his cheek. Prompto huffed through his nostrils, pulling back from Noctis slightly.

“Listen, Noct; I might be a bit harsh with you now, but I really, really, really want to see you succeeding and getting to that throne. Iris is the best shot we’ve had so far – damn Gladio for not bringing it up earlier; I bet he thought about it a long time ago – and Iris is so precious none of us want her to get hurt. So, go and kiss her, quick. Then you’ll know if you like her enough or not: If you need more time to figure out your feelings, or if it’s a straight hit or a clear miss. If you are nervous while kissing and can’t tell, try again some other time - if it’s not alright to kiss her again straight away. We already know how Iris feels about you. She said she’d follow you to the throne, we all heard that last evening, and on top of that she’s been ogling you as long as I can remember. This is about you now, Noct. About your feelings. You do like her, yeah?”

Prompto’s monologue, which sort of didn’t fit his persona like it would have fitted Ignis’s, sank deep into Noctis’s core, running through his spine and settling coldly into his lower stomach. Prompto was right. There was nothing Noctis could argue back about the points he had brought up.

“… I do like Iris,” he replied honestly after a bit too long a pause.

Prompto opened his mouth to say something, but Gladio and Iris returned back, both of them smiling from ear to ear. They rushed in with such force that Gladio almost took the poor door off of its hinges.

“Where’s Ignis?” Gladio asked scanning the room. “Prompto, can you get him here? It’s important.”

“Noct, I think I got it!” Iris rushed to Noctis, taking hold of his hand with both of her palms. She was eager and excited, her eyes full of energy. Noctis didn’t know what was going on.

“Y—yeah?” he asked with a boggled expression, checking to see if Gladio had any answer written on him. Nothing. Just a smile as wide as the one on Iris’s lips.

“Oh, you will like this, Noctis!” Iris was bouncing up and down whilst still holding Noctis’s palm.

Ignis was gotten from the next room, where he had been concentrating deeply on the results of investigation teams’ findings regarding the available bridal options.

“This seems urgent and pleasurable,” Ignis noted as he saw Gladio’s broad smile and Iris merrily bouncing in front of Noctis, her steps taken straight from a strange happy dance – a dance Noctis couldn’t follow, but just stood still like a surprised statue.

“Oh, the news is good indeed,” Gladio affirmed.

“Please tell me Iris is the one?” Prompto begged with his fingers crossed.

“Everyone, please gather around! Gladdy, I want to tell them,” Iris said, gesturing everyone to get closer to her, also getting permission from Gladio to deliver whatever good news the siblings had got stored up their sleeves. When everyone had taken their spot near Iris, she bounced on her toes and then back on her feet, exhaling sharply.

“So!” she declared loudly, taking a careful look at everyone’s face, “While I was training with Gladdy, I kept pondering the ways to determine if I’m the one or not for Noctis. I know we can’t just ask that from Shiva, it would be a waste of a good question. So, I asked Gladdy what kind of woman are you looking for and do I match her description.”

Everyone’s eyes widened, mouths opening. Gladio had crossed his arms over his chest and was beaming with pride.

“Think about how shocked I was when I realized we hadn’t the tiniest clue about her,” Gladio gestured at the gaping Noctis.

Ignis adjusted his glasses with a smirk.

“Oh dear,” he kept grinning.

“So!” Iris declared loudly once more, “Gladdy and I thought it would be wise to ask Shiva what the woman you are looking for, Noctis, is like: what she looks like, what kind of a woman she is and such.”

“Using a Divine Question to ask about the partner’s qualities and looks instead of asking whether or not it’s Iris is a clever idea. Miss Iris, I must say we clearly needed a woman’s vision here,” Ignis complimented Iris and she blushed.

“It was nothing,” she tried, but Ignis didn’t agree.

“It was a lot, Iris.”

“If she matches the description, then we can go to the second step and see how we can determine if she’s the one from the answer given,” Gladio noted.

“And if I don’t match Shiva’s description of Noctis’s queen, then it’s settled, and you can go after the woman who fits it, right?” Iris cast a bright look at Noctis, who was staring back at her with his lips apart. He looked like someone had hit him with a cold rag, but he quickly composed himself, smiling widely.

“Right. Thank you, Iris. You’ve done a huge favor for me,” he let out a relaxed sigh, petting her hair with his hand tenderly. Iris shrugged shyly.

“I must say I’m utterly ashamed that such an idea didn’t even cross my mind. My apologies,” Ignis said with a loud sigh.

“We’re cool, Ignis. You’ve had your head full with sorting out all the bride options and with that investigation team handling; not to mention that you also cook and do most of the driving. That idea should have crossed all of our minds, and to do that as soon as we left home,” Noctis replied to Ignis, patting his shoulder brotherly.

Prompto was so dazed he had to sit down.

“Oh wow. That’s such a good idea, Iris! Are you sure you don’t want to travel with us? We could definitely use your sharp head.”

“No thanks – besides Gladdy didn’t agree with it for safety reasons, remember?” Iris pointed towards their first conversation after the ceremony at the palace.

“How are we going to ask the question from Shiva when returning to Insomnia will cause unwanted media ruckus?” Noctis asked to Ignis. The last thing he needed now was media attention. He was happy they had managed to avoid those nosy bastards as well as they had so far.

“As a matter of fact, we can use any qualified oracle for the question. It will be a bit difficult to find one – usually, that is - but I know of an oracle at Leide Bay: An elderly lady, who has helped the Lucis family before, when King Regis was a young man. She might not be working officially as an oracle anymore, but I suspect she’d help King Regis’s son nevertheless. An oracle’s skills never leave the oracle, not even when they retire,” Ignis explained.

“We need to get an offering for Shiva before we go anywhere near the oracle,” Gladio reminded everyone. It was a custom to give an offering to the future king’s personal Astral before requesting a Divine Answer for whatever question the heir had about their mission.

“I could fish?” Noctis said with a hopeful voice, his head perking up.

“You think the divine lady would be happy with a smelly fish?” Prompto looked up at Noctis, who huffed, hurt.

“I think it will do fine,” Ignis replied for Noctis.

“It will be a gift I have personally gotten for her, with my very own skills and equipment. Not some trinket you can buy from a street booth, you know?” Noctis said to Prompto, who leaned back in his seat, his head popping up and down.

“Reasoning accepted,” he said.

“Like always, let me suggest that we go on with our next move tomorrow? Driving to Leide from here will take long so there’s no sense in leaving today. We’ll take Iris with us, as this considers her, too,” Gladio said. Iris accompanied him with quick, eager nods.

“I’m so curious I have butterflies all around my stomach! I’d also like to know the Divine answer as soon as possible.”

“I’m sure we all agree it will most certainly ease Noct’s mind if we can get the answer and thus the much needed guidance quickly,” Ignis said, causing everyone’s eyes to lock on to Noctis.

“… If I can catch a fish today, then yes?” he offered, not knowing if he was supposed to give the final decision for them embarking to Leide Bay tomorrow or not.

“Then better get your equipment ready,” Gladio smirked at him sharply.

 

 -------------------------------------

The sea was rather calm, bathing in the light of the setting sun. The stars had appeared behind Noctis, blinking playfully around him, but Noctis wasn’t in the mood for any play. The fish had been eating lousily and nothing he had gotten so far had been worthy of Shiva – or so Noctis had thought. He didn’t want to take a risk of Shiva rejecting his offering, and thus not giving him an answer until a proper and better offering was brought to her.  As such he let the small fish go back to their homes and stood patiently, rod in hand, praying for a better catch.

Whilst deciding it was time to try another bait he was able to hear light steps approaching him. He knew it was Iris before he even saw her.

“Hi, Iris. Out for a little walk?” he asked, looking over his shoulder. Iris had a thermos bottle and two cups with her.

“Ignis asked me to bring you some tea. I’ve also got sandwiches,” she said, pointing out a small bag hanging off the crook of her arm. Noctis hadn’t noticed it earlier.

“Ignis is always making sandwiches when we’re here,” he smiled.

“Do you mind if I join you for a while? You’ve been alone here for so long I thought you might be bored,” Iris asked.

“I’d like that,” he replied shortly, tossing the new bait out to sea. Noctis had indeed noticed how even Prompto had left him to be alone with the fish catching. On the other hand, it wasn’t that big of a surprise, Prompto found fishing to be a completely boring and uninteresting activity. Only Gladio shared the love for the hobby with Noctis, and not even he was as passionate about it as Noctis was.

Iris was looking for a place to sit, scanning her eyes around the rocks near Noctis.

“Huh, I don’t see any fishes…” she mumbled, opening the thermos bottle’s cap and trying to find even a hint of those watery friends.

“I’ve got some, but not any worthy of an Astral yet,” Noctis said, reeling the line back in with no luck. He pondered if he should change his bait to a tonberry one, which was the bait he had originally thought about using.

“Oh, so you are after a big catch. Nice,” Iris smiled and handled a cup of tea for Noct. He took the mug with short thank you, drinking the warm tea and enjoying how it warmed up his middle section.

“I can hold you mug,” Iris offered when Noctis had drank half of the tea, his eyes drifting to the sea, his mind too eager to fish. Iris took the cup into her possession and sat next to Noctis’s feet, staring tenderly at the orange hued sky in the horizon.

“What if you can’t catch a big one?” she asked.

Noctis huffed sharply at her comment, his line already far away in the waves.

“What? You think I’m that bad? You should have seen all the monsters I have lifted up from the depths of waters,” he snorted dramatically, obviously playing around with Iris. She giggled back at him.

“Well, seriously speaking, if I can’t get a real catch, then I’ll offer her multiple smaller fish. Maybe a collection of some sort?” he muttered with cocked eyebrows, looking pleased with his own idea. He had come up with that just now.

They stayed side by side in silence for a while until Noctis turned his head to Iris, looking down at her sitting form.

“Have you ever fished?” he asked.

“Yeah, a few times with Gladdy, but not with a rod or line like that,” she gestured at Noctis fishing gear with the mug in her hand.

“Would you like to try?” Noctis offered the green rod closer to Iris.

She weighed up the sudden offer for a second, then smiling with a nod.

“Okay! I can try. But please, don’t yell at me if I lose your bait. I’ll buy you a new one if I do!” she requested, placing the cups on the stone and getting to her feet with the help of Noctis’s arm pulling her up.

“I’ll change you to a moogle bait first,” Noctis smiled, impressing Iris with the fact he remembered how much Iris loved Moogles.

After the bait resembling a Moogle was on the other end of the line, Iris took the rod from Noctis’s hand, following Noctis’s guidance carefully. He told her the basics, showed her how the rod should be held and the line reeled, how to lure fish closer and what to do if she got a bite.

And bite she did get. After about ten minutes.

“Noct, I got one!” she gasped, taking a tight grip on the rod. “What do I do?!”

Noctis was behind her in a second, genuinely surprised that the moogle bait had worked in these waters.

“Reel it in nicely and slowly and follow the fish’s movements. You need to tire it out,” he advised her.

“Oh no, Noct, it feels heavy...!” she gasped again, shrieking when she wasn’t ready for the fish to pull her in with such a force so suddenly.

“No need to panic, I’ll help you out,” Noctis said, taking a hold of the rod with Iris with his left hand and placing the other hand on Iris’s palm on the reel. She kept struggling with the fish, following Noctis’s orders, letting him help her; panicking a few times when the fish got a burst of energy and pulled the line forcefully towards the sea.

In the end, they managed to win the battle with the fish, and what a fish it was – a big, fat, glimmering sea bass, definitely worthy of Shiva herself. After the fish had been lifted out from the water fully and killed to avoid unnecessary suffering, Noctis hugged Iris from the waist, lifting her up in the air with both hands.

“You did it, Iris! Well done!” he complimented her sincerely, feeling glad that they had gotten the offering they needed. “Leviathan clearly has a thing for pretty girls more than pretty guys like me – and maybe to moogle baits, too,” Noctis laughed while placing Iris down on the ground.

“I’m glad I could help!” Iris breathed out happily, also joyous of their huge catch.

Noctis noticed how his arms had stayed around her slightly after the hug and how her cheeks flushed cutely as she avoided his gaze. His heart jumped up to his throat. Was… Was this a romantic setting, the one Prompto kept lecturing him about? The stars above them, vast beautiful sea at their side, no one nearby watching them; the boy’s arms around the girl’s waist tenderly, as she shyly had her head turned slightly away from him, just so that he could still see her soft blush and beautiful eyes.

Was… Was this the moment where he should ask about the kiss? Or make his move?

Would he slobber her face completely, if he did bend down to request a kiss silently with his lips? Or would she freak out if he did that?

Wait, how had Prompto done the kiss? He had been so tender and careful, sucked his lower lip teasingly. How had he done it back to Prompto? He had captured Prompto’s mouth curiously and awkwardly yet Prompto had complimented him that if he kissed Iris like he had kissed him, she would have gone to Heaven from the joy. But then, Prompto was a guy and Iris was a girl and what if his kiss was too unexciting or too intense for Iris, if he kissed her the way he had kissed Prompto. It was her first kiss for Astral’s sake. He couldn’t just… smack his face onto hers like that! She’d remember the first kiss of hers till the day she’d die, just like he would remember Prompto’s lips traveling over his till the day they laid his corpse in a casket.

Noctis was sure Iris would soon be able to hear his heart beat over the waves and the wind. His fingers trembled, face reddening furiously.

Was this a hint of true love? Or a deep crush?

Was he falling for his friend, his shield’s sister, though he had been unsure of his own feelings regarding Iris just recently?  
  
Was this why Prompto had pestered him today when he was left alone with him? The reason why he had specifically underlined the importance of Noctis’s own feelings. Maybe he had seen it, seen him falling for Iris a lot sooner than he had seen it himself?

Oh, if only Prompto was here now to give Noctis hints and guidance from a secret hiding place, beckoning and making faces behind that tree, or behind that rock…! What would he suggest for him to do?

Iris made the decision for Noctis, pulling away from him with a shy chuckle.

“I’m happy I could help, Noct,” she said once again. Noctis moved his arms to his sides quickly, turning awkwardly sideways to Iris.

“Y—Yeah, that was a big help. Thanks. Let’s get this rascal into cold storage before it gets too warm and starts to go bad,” Noctis stuttered slightly, reaching down for the big fish.

Iris had collected the thermos bottle and mugs, smiling softly at Noctis.

“That was super fun, Noct. Let’s do that again,” she said.

Noctis couldn’t tell was she referring to fishing or to his awkward embrace.

 

\-------------------------------------  
 

Ignis’s face was unreadably calm as he walked back from the small hut that belonged to the old oracle lady, the rest of the group waiting anxiously outside for his news.

“The oracle will see you, Noctis,” Ignis said when he reached the group, and a relieved expression spread across everyone’s faces, their rigid postures relaxing.

“That’s such good news,” Noctis whistled out.

“However, the oracle will see only you. We have to wait outside. This is something you need to handle on your own,” Ignis added, watching how Noctis’s relieved face turned serious.

“Will do. As long as we get an answer,” he replied pushing his shoulders back and starting to walk toward the hut’s entrance, cheers and good luck wishes from his friends echoing behind him in a loud mess. The fish offering was in a cooler box; hanging heavily on his right hand.

The wind was dry in these parts of Lucis and the sun shone down on Noctis’s neck with merciless hotness, making his black clothes too hot for comfort. He wiped his face with the back of his glove covered hand before stepping into the oracles house. A dark skinned woman in her 70’s, gorgeous as the goddess Shiva herself, greeted Noctis gracefully. He bowed back a bit awkwardly, not being sure if he should be formal with her.

“Welcome, Prince of Lucis, the son of King Regis,” she said with a deep velvety voice, her intense eyes staring at Noctis calmly, “Please tell me: how is your father doing?”

“He’s fine,” Noctis replied shortly, feeling himself unsure before such a prominent and powerful figure. He could tell the woman had been an Oracle for a long, long time, and that she was indeed the real deal.

“Your servant told me why you are here, Your Highness. Please, follow me with your offering,” she gestured toward the back of the room, turning slowly on her heels and guiding Noctis into a separate small room. It smelled like incense, candle wax and magick. Different ornaments lay here and there, neatly and in their rightful places, and Noctis started to worry he would either knock some of them down or get tangled into the strings of pearls, stones, feathers and other items hanging from the ceiling.

The oracle gestured Noctis to sit down on the pillows before a low wooden table with candles on it, already mysteriously lit. Then she silently asked Noctis to place his offering for Shiva on the altar behind her, and suddenly Noctis felt absolutely ashamed by the fact that he had brought a huge fish as an offering. With a slightly embarrassed face – trying to keep his cool for the sake of his royal position – he took the fish out from its storage box and handled it with both hands to the oracle, bowing his head down politely, like he was supposed to do while presenting an offering for the Astrals. The oracle’s expression stayed the same, calm and noble, and she made the short ritual prayer while placing Noctis’s offer down at the altar. After that she turned around and took a seat at the opposite side of the table, her focus landing on Noctis.

“I will now call forward you personal Astral, Your Highness. When I have summoned them here, you are given permission to ask your Divine Question. I must remind you that one question means only one question; if the given answer raises further questions, those won’t be answered unless Your Highness is ready to use another Divine Question; if it is a case where there are Questions left,” she instructed Noctis, who nodded quickly as a reply. His hands had curled into sweaty fists, hidden underneath the table, for Noctis was horribly nervous. He had been practicing a good question together with everyone during the car drive here, figuring out the way to get as much information out from Shiva with one shot as possible, but he was still nervous nevertheless.

The oracle closed her eyes, taking deep, rough sounding breaths, her posture noble and tall. Noctis didn’t even dare to breath properly, just in case it would distract her – he didn’t know if all the oracles worked the same way or not – but after a few minutes of silence the temperature started to drop in the room. Noctis’s breath steamed and there wasn’t any more any signs of them being out in a hot Leiden desert.

“Shiva, the Goddess of Ice and Clarity, has blessed you with her guidance,” the oracle announced loudly, her eyes closed. “Prince of Lucis, you may ask your Divine Question now.”

Noctis shifted in his seat to a perkier position, clearing his throat.

“I, Noctis Lucis Caelum, the heir to Lucis’s throne, salute you Shiva; The Goddess of Ice and Clarity, One of the Unearthly Mothers to us all and The Sister of mine,” Noctis started with a formal greeting, hoping Shiva wouldn’t mind that he was sitting and not standing in front of her presence. “I have arrived to seek your wisdom to aid me on my quest to the throne. I wish to know more details about my Divine Partner, details which will guide me in the right direction, so that I may please your Divine wishes, Oh Loving Goddess of Ice and Clarity.”

Unlike with Lunafreya and the ceremony in their home palace, Noctis couldn’t hear Shiva talking, but he was able to sense her like she would have been standing in the room with him and the oracle. His mouth was getting dry, hair on the back of his arms standing up both from the coldness in the air and the excitement of the answer.

The oracle hummed after a somewhat long silence, and Noctis almost bounced in his seat.

“Hear me well, Prince of Lucis, the Rightful Heir of the Lucian Throne, for these words I bear to You regarding your question. Etch these into the core of your heart, behind the backs of your eyes, near the lobes of your ears, for these words will bless your fate;

 

Fair and lithe of frame, with hair of gold  
Something hidden, which has not been foretold  
Next to the King, the source of disgrace  
For people so hard to face  
  
Further way, the Five will lead  
Blooming out, the true love’s seed  
As only in the dark will the one see  
And the heart’s calling to truly heed  
  
Hard may this journey be  
Much harder for the King than the Lover, indeed  
Tears, joys and the distance  
At the Kings’ love’s and passion’s great assistance

 

Noctis had lifted his phone on the table and recorded Shiva’s every word spoken through the oracle, his eyes widening the longer the answer continued. It wasn’t anything he had been anticipating and right upon hearing it didn’t make any sense to him. Noctis was sort of disappointed that Shiva hadn’t given him the answer he had assumed he would get.

“Young Prince of Lucis; one Question still remains. Would you want to use it now?” Shiva asked with the voice of the oracle.

“No, thank you,” Noctis tottered, his head more confused after getting the answer than before it.

As the answer had been given, Shiva bid her blessing to Noctis and left the room, the temperature rising back, becoming hot and dry again. The oracle returned back from her trance and gracefully opened her eyes to look at Noctis.

“Your Highness, the answer has been given. I bid you farewell and pray for safe travels on this important journey of yours. May Your Highness be successful and bring Glory and Peace to everyone in Lucis,” she said, placing her hands into her lap and bowed down deeply, her forehead almost touching the table’s smooth surface.

Noctis was so dazed by the Divine Answer he barely remembered he was supposed to bid a formal goodbye to the oracle too. He stood up with one jump, placed his hands tightly against his sides and bent his body towards the oracle in a formal bow. Then he left with his phone, darkness lingering in his eyes.

So, it wasn’t Iris. That much he could tell from the message.

With a heavy heart he went outside and to the Regalia, where everyone was enjoying cool air conditioning under the scorching direct sunlight.

“So, how was it?” Prompto turned eagerly in his seat to look at Noctis as he opened the back door and sat in the car.

“Strange,” he replied shortly with tight lips. “We better find a place to talk about the answer I got. It’s… confusing… I need your opinions on it.”

“She didn’t tell you if it was it Iris or not?” Gladio bent down to look at Noctis over Iris’s legs. Iris was staring at Noctis nervously, her eyes huge and hands squeezing her skirt tightly.

Noctis gave a sad smile to Amicitia siblings, scratching the back of his head.

“Sorry, Iris is not the one. The message I got told of a woman with blonde hair,” he replied, hoping Iris wouldn’t get her feelings hurt too much.

Gladio’s face dropped more than Iris’s did, which surprised Noctis. He leaned back into his seat’s backrest with a groan.

“Oh well, we had to try that at least,” Gladio said, and to Noctis it felt like he was soothing himself the most.

“Noctis, I’m sorry…” Iris whispered apologetically, fumbling with the fabric of her skirts.

Noctis patted her head gently, and gave Iris a tender smile.

“It’s alright, Iris. You were a great help already. Thanks.”

“Where should we head to talk about this Divine Answer you just received?” Ignis asked, catching Noctis’s attention through Regalia’s rear-view mirror.

“Ugh… Are there any good private places nearby?” he asked back.

“There’s a rentable trailer about half an hour’s drive away,” Ignis offered.

“How about you drive us there and I’ll drop Iris back home?” Gladio offered and no one had anything to say against that idea, not even Iris. She did look sullen and disappointed, but so did Noctis; yet he tried his best to keep up a brave face for Iris’s sake. Instead of brooding he took hold of Iris’s hand, surprising her, and squeezed it, smiling softly at her. Gladio followed Noctis’s gesture and wrapped his tattooed arm around Iris’s shoulder, but he couldn’t hide the disappointment in his eyes as well as Noctis.

Iris got slightly emotional from the support of both of the guys, and smiled with quivering lips.

She didn’t say anything. Noctis pondered was she feeling sorry for not being the bride because she had wanted to help Noctis or had she truly, from the bottom of her heart, meant what she had said to him at the beach yesterday.

He remembered her wish with the gil didn’t come true.

 

\------------------------

 

“Read that last part for me once more,” Prompto was lolling on the bed his legs crossed on top of each other, his finger whirling commanding circles in the air.

“As only in the dark will the one see, And the heart’s calling to truly heed,” Noctis read it from a paper he had scribbled the recorded message onto with his wonky handwriting.

“As only in the dark….” Prompto was mumbling, scrolling through his phone. “Could it mean Insomnia?”

“…Could be?” Noctis wasn’t sure, but he scribbled ‘Insomnia’ onto the paper next to that phrase. The paper was already full of notes here and there, with question marks and a few Cactuar drawings Noctis had doodled there. They were fighting against each other with their 1000 Needle strikes.

“Dark could also mean night overall? Or maybe mind’s darkness?” Prompto offered.

“I think Insomnia might be the best option?” Noctis’s was chewing the pencil now.

“Well, let’s continue. I thought about the Five will lead – which doesn’t make the slightest sense in this context – but perhaps she will become our Fifth party member?” Prompto turned to look at Noctis hopefully.

Noctis’s teeth were sinking deeper into the poor pencil, “Well, eh, I did imagine that she’d become part of this group anyway, because she’ll be important to me like you guys. But I don’t know how the leading would fit into that?”

“Perhaps she leads us to a new era? You know, you getting married and such? Anyway, a Queen will lead with you so I don’t think the verb lead will fall too far away from her description,” Prompto was scooping the air with his free hand.

“That’s a valid point,” Noctis agreed but didn’t look too convinced.

The trailer door opened and Ignis arrived back with bags of groceries.

“My apologies for running late with the food and the riddle help. I got caught up in a conversation with the clerk. Such a talkative lady. Barely got rid of her politely enough,” he said, lifting the bags on the table. “I shall start preparing us something warm to eat. Did you figure out anything about the message while I was gone?”

“We were thinking the dark could be Insomnia or at night or maybe even a blind spot,” Noctis replied, looking at his paper, “Also ‘Five will lead the way’ could perhaps be a Fifth party member or a reference to the time when we’re married and she’s the queen leading Lucis with me.”

“All of them valid options,” Ignis agreed, looking for a frying pan.

“Ignis, I’m worried about the beginning and end of this answer,” Noctis admitted with a hiss.

“Please let me hear those parts again,” Ignis requested, finally finding what he had been looking for from the cupboards.

Noctis took a deep breath.

“The first is ‘Next to the King, the source of disgrace, For people so hard to face’ and the last part goes ‘Tears, joys and the distance, At the Kings’ love’s and passion’s great assistance’. Plus, I really don’t like how the answer says that this journey will be harder for me than to my partner…”

Ignis gave Noctis a soft look, his eyebrows rising higher.

“I’d say that it makes perfect sense, since it’s you who’s running around Lucis in order to find your assigned partner, while the partner goes on with her life normally. Perhaps she doesn’t know she’s the chosen one?”

“You’d think that if she knew that, she’d have contacted Noct in some way?” Prompto sat up on the bed.

“Possibly.”

Noctis wasn’t chewing the pencil anymore, as he knew Ignis would scold him about it, but he was tapping it against the edge of the scribbled paper.

“Is she someone really horrible and hideous, because Shiva talks about disgrace which people won’t want to accept?” he muttered.

“I don’t really know how words ‘blonde’ and ‘horrible’ would go together. Blonde chicks are cute,” Prompto noted to Noctis, who just pursed his lips.

“Prompto, all chicks are cute to you,” he groaned.

“Ah, got me there!” Prompto finger gunned Noctis impishly.

“That part does worry me somewhat, too,” Ignis said between his carrot chopping. “My first assumption is that the partner would be someone people do not imagine for the king; like a woman from a low social background, a woman who has already been married – or is currently married – or a mother with a child, as that bastard child would get a place in Lucis’s bloodline; or maybe a mixture of any of these unsuitable characteristics for a traditional queen.”

Noctis’s and Prompto’s eyes were nailed on Ignis’s calm side profile.

“Dude! Is Noctis going to marry some divorced single mom?!” Prompto sounded horrified.

“Possibly.”

“I refuse...!” Noctis barked with a high pitched voice.

“I think we have to consider those options, too, and if needed, also ponder already married women,” Ignis replied so casually that Noctis’s whining just increased.

“No! That can’t be!”

“Bro, what if she’s like really old, one leg on the Astral’s side already?” Prompto threw more gasoline on the flames, making Noctis pale and groan.

“I didn’t go on this journey for that!”

“It would fit the description of how this journey is more difficult for the king than for the lover. Oh, and what if the distance is referring to an age gap?” Prompto was leaning towards Noctis, who just gaped at him with a shocked look.

“Prompto, I must say that sounds reasonable,” Ignis smirked evilly at the corner of his mouth, his eyes cast down at the potatoes he was peeling.

“Stop that! You’re freaking me out and that’s not funny!” Noctis demanded of both of them, Ignis and Prompto breaking into snorts and chuckles. Ignis did his best not to lose his poker face, only adjusted his glasses to keep the laughter from coming out. Prompto, however, was almost howling at Noctis’s cost.

“Seriously speaking, let’s get into that message deeper when Gladio comes back. It does have sort of a menacing tone I’m also worried about,” Ignis toned down the teasing.

“… I don’t want to think anything bad, but I agree with Ignis: The message is sort of scary…” Prompto whispered, the laughter now long gone from his blue eyes.  

Noctis was staring at the message, gears in his head running wildly. He didn’t really understand the message, as it was a riddle with opposite parts in it. He also failed to see how that would help him to find the spouse. He did know now that he should concentrate on blondes, who were lithe and fair in frame, which did help a little – but only a little. Right now Noctis couldn’t help but think that Shiva’s answer, which was supposed to help him out, had only brought more questions to the table.

Soon, it would be the sixth month of his journey.

 


	10. Crystal Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Noctis becomes face to face with his mortal enemies; the suit and new shoes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was about to update this next week (this has been ready for weeks already haha), but as it seems next week might be busier than I thought, here you go with a fast new update. Next chapter follows when proofreader is done with it, so be patient :3
> 
> Those who have been pondering how long this fic is and how much romance there will be, here are my answers  
> 1) I have no idea of the length of this fic as I write with a flow, not with strict planning. I assume it's anything between 20-30 chapters, most likely closer to 30.  
> 2) This is story with a romance, not a romance with a story. Everything will fall in its rightful place eventually, but we're progressing there slowly. This will not be mushy mushy fic, but about deep emotions - with also erotic parts.
> 
> Oh and there will be Prompto POV coming in the future (has already been written), so you get to hear his feelings, too :3
> 
> Thank you Scorpiselli for proofreading! <3

It had been seven months since Noctis had left Insomnia to look for the bride that the Astrals had assigned to him, and to fulfill his Divine Mission to understand something about love. Neither one of those goals had been accomplished yet. Quite the opposite. Noctis still felt utterly lost when he tried to figure out just what he was supposed to learn about love while traveling with his friends from place to place; chasing down an unknown woman. Yet, the second Divine Question to Shiva had been at least a bit fruitful and Noctis, while not completely happy with the gotten answer, was pleased to know he had now at least some small idea what to look for. The time since the meeting with the oracle hadn’t brought Noctis any closer to his loved one. Ignis had been very skeptical about the new possible bride options, asking for the investigation team to do even more detailed work with the information he sent them. Noctis thought that maybe Ignis wanted to save him from any unnecessary chase. Noctis had met too many women already, all in vain. He would be lying if he said it didn’t affect him negatively.

Noctis was happy they had had their encounter with Iris, though, pleased that she still had his back, although also sort of moody to know it wasn’t Iris who was the one supposed to take the throne with him. Gladio had been perhaps the most disappointed and Noctis understood it. If he had a sister like Gladio did, he would have also wished for her to marry one of the most loyal and trustworthy men he had ever encountered, and supported her marriage with Gladio whole heartedly. While brooding after they had dropped Iris off from their journey, Ignis had pointed out to Noctis that it would had been perhaps a bit too easy if the bride was Iris. Prompto had agreed with him, reminding Noctis that in all love stories the hero needed to go through a hell of a lot of a trouble for his love’s sake. It had soothed him a bit. Prompto somehow soothed his mind every time he opened his mouth.

“Your Highness,” Ignis appeared by Noctis, who was sat on a hotel room chair reading a newspaper. “The palace has forwarded us the invitation to The Crystal Day’s party.”

“Oh, we’re supposed to participate in it even though our mission isn’t over yet?” Noctis was surprised. Sure, he knew it was Crystal Day soon and he was always going to participate; but secretly he had hoped that this year he could skip it due his Divine Mission not being cleared yet.

“It’s a custom, Noct. They wouldn’t send us the invitation if they didn’t expect us to be there. Take it as a day’s rest from the mission.”

Noctis’s eyes narrowed as he put the magazine down in his lap.

“It will be far from a rest. Think about all the eyes on me when I return home alone, without a partner. All the whispers and talking behind my back. If you happened to forget, my position wasn’t good when we left and over half of a year without any success doesn’t really polish my reputation,” he murmured displeased, gaze stony.

“I understand your concern, but we have to rise above such ill talking. Only low-minded people or the people wishing for the fall of Lucis will have such thoughts in the first place, and we shouldn’t pay attention to such folk,” Ignis spoke calmly, going through the phone in his hand thoughtfully. “We do have one advantage though.”

“Oh?”

“Due to the Divine Mission regulations, the Crystal Day can’t be celebrated at the palace. The formal part of the day’s event will take place at the palace’s church like always, but you are forbidden to go there until you have finished your mission. Your father, Cor and Miss. Lunafreya will take care of those formalities.”

“That much I knew already,” Noctis leaned deeper into the fancy chair’s backrest with a groan. “So, where is it then?”

“In The Orior Tower. Floors 74 and 75 have been reserved for the after party,” Ignis replied.

Noctis knew the place, for he had been there a few times with his father. It was one of the tallest skyscrapers in Insomnia, a place where VIP-parties, important meetings and business deals took place. Beautiful building, both on the outside and the inside, rising high over the forever dark city from the central district of the Lucis’s capitol city.

“Is there any reason why the palace can’t be used? It should be fine as long as I don’t go to the church,” Noctis asked, his mind already wandering to his own bedroom - to his own bed - to get to rest his body and soul in the comfortable, familiar environment with a good night’s sleep.

Ignis lifted his head up from the phone screen.

“The invitation says the after party is part of your Divine Mission celebration, as it is an important event even when still unaccomplished, but I suspect the real reason for that is a good old PR-trick: It doesn’t look as bad if the Prince is seen without a female company in the Orior Tower as in the palace, if I may put it frankly.”

Noctis’s nose wrinkled, but he understood what Ignis was after. After all, his image did affect everyone in Lucis, especially his father, so PR-management had to always think of ways to make the King and the Prince appear as flawless and powerful as possible.

“I suggest we go through some speech lessons with you about this Divine Mission, as there will be both nosy people and very sharp ears around us,” Ignis said. Noctis agreed with him completely.

“I’d appreciate that. Thanks.”

“By the way, as the palace is now off-limits for you, it would also serve the PR if none of us were seen in the palace. This means we have to get ready for the party ourselves,” Ignis said, opening a web browser on his phone.

Noctis paled, straightening his back abruptly. His nails dug into the armrests.

“Oh no…” he whimpered.

“Oh yes,” Ignis smiled back with a very pleased face, “I already went through some options and I think we should pay a visit to Lestallum for formal wear shopping.”

That’s it. If Noctis hated something, it was shopping for clothes. His servants always brought him clothes, or Ignis brought him bags full where he chose the ones he liked and sent the rest to be returned to the stores by Ignis. But when it came to fancy formal wear, with a suit that fitted the wearer perfectly from head to toe, and all the matching accessories, letting someone shop for you just didn’t do the trick. Especially when the suits always required some adjustments.

“There’s Groomer, which has wide selection of both styles and sizes. We need to take into account the size difference between Gladio and Prompto, so it will serve us the best if we can get all the four suits in one place, with as little adjustments as possible. Frankly we don’t have time for custom made suits, as I wasn’t prepared them to invite us for the Crystal Day’s party.”

“Oh, man…” Noctis moaned, lolling back in the chair rather dramatically. He simply knew there was no escaping from the annoying shopping. If they could go back to the palace there would be plenty of suits ready for him, Ignis and Gladio. Prompto could definitely borrow one of his suits and the palace’s servants could get the needed adjustments made for the suit in time, too.

“It won’t be that bad, Noct. It’s just one shop, two max if we can’t find suitable one for Gladio due his bulky shoulders and great sword swinger’s upper back,” Ignis was still smiling; clearly enjoying of all the different expressions of despair on Noctis’s face.

The hotel door opened and Prompto dashed in with a grin spreading from one ear to another.

“Noct! Noct! I won a prize in street lottery!” he yelled eyes sparkling, holding a soft chocobo plushie in his arms, but he stopped in the middle of his joyous rampage. “Noct, what’s wrong?”

“Prompto, get ready. We need to go shopping. Suit shopping,” Noctis groaned, his hand over his face as he peeked miserably at Prompto between his fingers.

“Oooh, shopping!” was the reaction Noctis got from Prompto, and it wasn’t the one he had been waiting for. He removed his hand and glared at Prompto, who didn’t pay any attention to him.

“Did I hear shopping?” Gladio entered the room with two big bags, looking boggled. “Did you forget something, Ignis? I got everything you asked for.”

“No, the list I gave you was all good. Thanks for getting the items with Prompto. We got The Crystal Day’s invitation to Orior Tower and we need appropriate outfits for it from Lestallum. And, before you ask, the outfits in the palace won’t do as we can’t go there. PR-things. I’ll explain it to you in detail later,” Ignis replied to Gladio.  

“Someone could deliver them to us from the palace,” Gladio said.

“Yes, but for the PR’s sake, especially when we’re sort of running late with this mission in people’s minds, it’s better if we have as little public contact with the palace as possible. Besides, our chocobo boy Prompto needs a suit. I don’t think you have a suit?” Ignis turned to speak to Prompto, who stopped whatever goofing he had going on with Noctis. He hugged his prize chocobo against his chest.

“No, if you don’t count the high school uniform,” he mumbled.

“Such a sloppy outfit won’t do, definitely won’t,” Ignis nodded sharply with his arms crossed over his chest.

“Forget it, Ignis has already decided he wants to go and drool over fancy suits,” Noctis grunted.

“Nothing’s more eye catching and positively startling than a man in a perfectly fitting suit,” Ignis said and Noctis was sure he saw light traveling across his glasses’ lenses like a lightning when he spoke.

“Should we go to Lestallum tomorrow?” Gladio asked, unpacking one of the shopping bags on the hotel room’s table. Cans of Ebony coffee, cup noodles, some candy and chips, and Noctis’s special favorite, Tenebraen apple jelly. It reminded him of his childhood’s visits to Tenebrae with his father.

“Certainly. We need to give dress makers time to make adjustments to the suits. Plus, we need good shoes for everyone,” Ignis replied.

That’s it. Another thing Noctis hated, right after clothing shopping - and dancing - were new, fancy shoes. They were always uncomfortable at first and caused nasty blisters on pinky toes. He groaned dramatically, but no one paid any attention to his behavior.

“I’m sorry, I don’t think I have enough cash for my suit…” Prompto muttered with pouty lips, but Ignis waved his hand casually at him.

“That won’t be a problem. We can buy the suits with the money we have and you, dear Prompto, are part of this party, so naturally you will get a suit and shoes.”

“Wow, I’ve never had a proper suit. This is exciting,” he sighed with glimmering eyes, an excited smile spreading on his face. He was pressing his toy tighter against his chest.

“Don’t bother, it’s itchy and hot,” Noctis was still sour.

“Noctis!” Ignis scolded him sharply.

 

\-------------------------------------

 

Noctis tried his best, by the Astrals, did he try his best at keeping a neutral face when the slim, young tailor was circling around him with judging eyes, poking and touching his sides and shoulder with his fingers while taking the measurements for the adjustments of his suit. Noctis learned that while his shoulders were wide enough for the suit, the sleeves were too big and his arms were too slim from the forearms to fit the suit properly. Ignis was following the scene carefully, obviously very pleased and right in his element, burning with desire to get to talk about fashion with the tailor. Noctis missed half of what they were saying, staring at himself dully in the mirror in front of him. He noticed how behind him another tailor arrived to help Gladio with sleeve measurements when he came out from fitting room. The black suit made his back look even bigger and wider, and yet again Noctis muttered mentally how he needed to grow such a manly frame too, to be taken seriously as a king. It bothered him how some of his people were already sort of against him with this nonsense mission, and comparing himself to Gladio in secrecy only made his mood sourer.

“Have you thought about the color for the tie and the pocket square, sir?” the tailor’s voice came from Noctis’s side. He was talking to Ignis, ignoring Noctis, most likely aware it was the best to handle this with Ignis.

“Silver was on my mind,” he replied.

“That is a good choice. I’d recommend silver with a cold tone to highlight not only the suit, but the skin and eye color, too.”

Noctis pondered silently were there even other tones of silver than a cold in the first place, but managed to keep his mouth shut. He felt bothered how the tailor was now tucking his collar in a better position, like he would have been a living mannequin.

“On the other hand a completely black outfit would be very fitting…” Ignis had changed his mind.

“Let me bring both options here and we can see which one pleases both of you sirs the most,” the tailor suggested, finally addressing also Noctis and giving him a short smile, which Noctis clumsily returned. He had been too concentrated to his inside the head world than outside the head world.  

Gladio had disappeared from behind Noctis back to a fitting room and he heard Prompto’s voice saying something in the far distance, something that he couldn’t make out from the smooth classical music playing in the background. He had to smile a bit with the corner of his mouth when he thought how excited Prompto had been about getting a fancy suit. First the chocobo toy from the street lottery and now a perfectly fitting suit from the fanciest boutique in Lestallum. Noctis wondered how Prompto would look in such an outfit, as he was used to seeing Prompto either in a messy school uniform or in very casual outfits. He also made a mental note to see that Prompto was feeling comfortable at the Crystal Party, as this was the first time he was invited there due his position as a party member in Noctis’s Divine Mission.

The tailor returned with four different silver and black sets containing a tie and a pocket square. The tailor and Ignis hovered them one by one in front of Noctis, finally deciding that the black mat tie and square pocket looked the best with the black suit. Noctis didn’t know much of anything of fashion, so he simply agreed with their decision. He honestly didn’t care whether the tie was silver or black or cold silver or black mat. It was still going to strangle him.

He was guided to get out of the outfit so it could be left for the tailor and be ready for picking up later the same evening. Trying to be careful with the suit Noctis undressed himself slowly in his fitting room, his face dropping when he realized they still needed to wait for Ignis to find his suit and then hit the shoe shops. Ignis had been so concentrated on getting everyone else served first that Noctis almost felt bad for some reason, even though it was Ignis’s job to serve him.

How strange, when he thought about it, really giving it a time to sink in: Ignis’s life purpose was to serve him, as was Gladio’s, though Noctis thought that they were also his friends. Prompto’s life purpose was most likely to become a photographer – maybe the palace could use his skills when Noctis was the king – and Noctis himself pondered what his life’s purpose was; to find his wife or become the king. Right now it seemed it was the first, as the throne would be completely out of his reach without her. It made Noctis’s heart drop. His soul had been so heavy already for weeks, if not months, and sitting alone in the tiny fitting room, Noctis couldn’t help the tremendous pressure from pressing his heart even lower. There were good days too, but lately the bad days had invaded his space more than the good ones.

Day after tomorrow he would need to attend the party, which would be full of people, most of them members of the highest social classes. All staring at him, mumbling bad rumors behind his back, asking about his Divine Mission and why it had taken so long. Perhaps, if Noctis was very unlucky, there would be gold diggers trying to pimp their daughters on to him; hoping it was their family who would get the blessing of family ties to the King Noctis. He couldn’t even remember all the faces they had met so far; that wishful glimmer in the eyes of those who tried to get married themselves or get their daughter married to royalty.

On top of that, he really hadn’t learned anything about love so far. It was the main reason for his quest from Shiva. Noctis felt like he was not only bringing the people’s hopes down, but he was also betraying an Astral with his shitty job at the initiation mission.

The more Noctis churned in the dark vortex of his fears and insecurities, the more he felt like a pawn of some sort. A political or a divine pawn. A prize in the eyes of all the single ladies’ parents. The thought of Mollis-Mel popped into his mind and he hoped that the poor young woman was now happy in Altissa with her aunt. After Mollis-Mel, the image of Iris came up and it hurt Noctis the worst. Some ways, in some context, he had hoped for her to be the one. He would have been more comfortable around Iris instead of some random woman. Noctis failed to see Prompto’s hope with the idea of falling in love with someone so deeply at the first time that nothing else mattered. He didn’t believe in such things as love at the first sight; but he couldn’t let anyone know about it.

His mind wandered with the images of Iris’s face. The relationship would have been awkward at first, but it could have been solved easily with such a familiar girl. Not to mention how deeply the indirect “no” had crushed Iris’s and Gladio’s hopes - yet she gave him a brave smile while when they parted their ways, and Gladio kept his unwavering soldier’s façade up like he was supposed to. Noctis noted to himself that he hadn’t even properly thanked them for the support and help – or that was how he felt.

With his head hanging low, Noctis pondered if he would end up hurting more people during this trip. So far it was only Ignis who hadn’t gotten his fair share of the trip troubles. And if he couldn’t finish the mission, how much would it hurt the others - not only his father, but also the nation. The Lucis’s reputation. Cor would probably beat him up for that. Noctis didn’t want to face his fists, ever.

“Noct, are you ready?”

Ignis was standing behind the fitting room’s wooden door, calling for Noctis.

“I—I’ll be there in a minute,” Noctis shot his head up hastily, dressing as fast as possible.

Ignis took the suit from Noctis, eyeing his face curiously. Noctis scoffed.

“What?” he tutted.

“I didn’t say anything,” Ignis hummed with a sly smile, turning around and heading for the front desk, Noctis on his heels with a bothered expression.

Gladio and Prompto had gotten their outfits already and were standing near the counter. Prompto’s eyes were shining.

“Oh, this place is great,” he chirped at Noctis when he saw him, “I looked so nice in that outfit! I never knew I had such fine legs instead of two sticks,” he continued.

Noctis’s chuckled at Prompto, his eyes closing.

“I’m happy you’re happy.”

The other tailor went to help Ignis find a suit, which didn’t take much time at all. Noctis was sure that Ignis had gotten his eyes on that specific outfit as soon as they stepped in. Knowing fashion as well has he did, it was a trick or nothing for Ignis to know what he wanted and what complimented him the best.

When the suit shopping was done, they headed further down the same shopping street for new shoes. Prompto was eager and happy the whole way there, babbling nonstop with Gladio and swaying his body joyously from side to side next to him. Noctis followed the three of them absently, hoping his negative mindset would brighten up later in the day; after the shoe shopping, that is, as he wasn’t looking forward to it. At the shop he let Ignis choose the shoes once more, following his guidance silently, watching how the clerk was piling different sizes in front of Gladio to find his insteps best match. Noctis learned that he actually shared the same shoe size as Prompto – realizing that there were things even that ordinary that he didn’t know about Prompto. How was that even possible?

The rest of the evening was considered free time, and by mother Ignis’s promise, the next day they would only visit two bride options near Lestallum. Ignis had started to widen the age gap and crossed off all the ladies who weren’t blonde. The question was, how blonde was considered blonde by Shiva herself. To play it safe Ignis had also included the women who had dark blonde hair, toned with shades of different browns.

By the time the evening had fallen above Lestallum with a clear and starry sky, Noctis had to admit that his mood was still very lousy. It was obvious to his traveling companions, as Gladio sat across from Noctis quietly. Noctis was lolling lazily in his chair, staring out the window while leaning against his palm.

“What’s eating ya?” he asked leaning forward against his thighs.

“Not much,” Noctis lied.

“If you have something to say, just say it. We can’t be much of a help if you bottle it all up,” Gladio sort of frowned.

Noctis turned his head slowly to Gladio, his arm still bent upwards.

“The party doesn’t inspire me the slightest,” he circled the matter with such a good poker face Gladio took it as a truth. It wasn’t a complete lie though, he just left some things unsaid.

“We’ve got your back there and besides, we don’t need to stay for long. We can always appeal to the mission and leave early,” Gladio said.

“…To be honest, I’d rather be alone now than among masses of people,” Noctis huffed with a tired face, turning to lean against his palm absently.

He could sense how Gladio was inspecting him carefully, but Gladio remained silent, tapping the tips of his fingers together.

“…Alright. If Ignis agrees, you can roam freely in the party area. It should be a safe place overall. While you are the Prince and you need to act accordingly, you are still a human.”

“Yeah, you tell them, Noct!” Prompto joined the conversation, popping in between Gladio and Noctis. “As a Prince people have to listen to your commands and wishes, so I think no one would mind if you ask to be left alone.”

Noctic almost wanted to smiled at that suggestion, but his mouth actually curved the other way around, face darkening.

“That will be troublesome for the palace and Lucis PR,” he mumbled, thinking already how the trash magazines would report about his bad behavior, exaggerating as much as possible.

“With that kind of face and posture you’re going to earn yourself whispers and media attention anyway, and not in a good way. You can’t lie to the journalists. They will immediately read it all from your face, no matter how nicely you would put it,” Gladio reminded Noctis with a stern voice. “Let’s talk about this with Ignis as soon as he returns with the suits. Maybe we can come up with a good PR-way to handle your emotions and stress in public without causing any damage.”

Gladio was the last person Noctis had ever anticipated for such support, as he always seemed so stern and serious. Noctis pondered; was his face so miserable, his aura so tired, that even Gladio softened before his troubled mind.

Prompto’s face had worry written all over it.

“Would you like to do something to get the bad things out of your mind?” he asked awkwardly, not knowing if that was a good suggestion or not.

“No, thanks. I just want to rest. The shopping drained my energy a hell of a lot,” Noctis sighed back. “I’ll be better tomorrow after I sleep.”

Prompto bit his lip, looking like he wanted to say something supportive, but he only nodded with an understanding hum. His face was troubled in a very serious way, and Noctis noticed how Gladio’s face also darkened when he took a look at both him and Prompto.

Ignis arrived at the hotel room with the suit bags in the middle of the brooding.

“Oh dear, what’s going on here?” he immediately asked.

“Nothing. I’m just tired and not really in the mood to meet anyone,” Noctis mumbled, his gaze back at the scenery beyond the window.

“Noct wants to avoid the party hassle as much as possible and be left alone. Can we come up with some PR-speech for the event? That kind of face and aura are going to yell the truth at the guests’ and media’s face no matter what Noct would say, so better say something that’s at least a little bit tilted to the truth’s side,” Gladio straightened his back, head turned towards Ignis.

“We can always say the Prince is taking his mission so seriously he’s gotten himself sick and is slowly recovering from it. It will give an impression Noct isn’t anxious but overworked; which is a sign of a good, hardworking king, “ Ignis had the plan ready in a blink of an eye.

“What do I say if they want some details?” Noctis asked not moving a muscle.

“You’ll tell them that you have come to enjoy the rare free evening, to celebrate the Crystal, and won’t be concentrating on negative things this evening. That you are looking to continue your journey the next day.”

“What if they ask why I’m still single?” Noctis kept asking.

Ignis cocked his head.

“Then you’ll say that your Divine Mission is extremely important and you approach it with great care, taking care of all the details and making sure the mission will be successful. Hasting with such an important search won’t serve anyone.”

Noctis was silent for a second, but chuckled then softly.

“Damn, Ignis. You should be doing the talking for me.”

“I’m afraid that won’t do. We can give a speech for media outside the Tower as – trust me – there will be media there. Everyone will want to get a short interview from you regarding this important task. Inside the Orior Tower the quest shouldn’t be a problem. Media is not allowed in there, so it’s a safe space in that sense. Just repeat the same words like a parrot to nosy guests and excuse yourself away from conversation whenever you can,” Ignis said.

“I told Noct that if he wants, he can roam the event area freely without us breathing down his neck. You know, to get some privacy,” Gladio told to Ignis, who approved Gladio’s idea without objections.

That soothed Noctis’s spiraling mind down a bit. But only a little.

 

 ------------------------------------------

 

Noctis heart beat was rising, going faster and faster the closer the Regalia got to Orior Tower’s entrance; an all black canopy and menacing looking security guards filled with arriving guests and their escorts. Like Ignis had said, the media was swarming near the canopy, and as soon as they saw the Regalia - recognizing it to be the Prince’s vehicle - all the journalists with their cameras, video cameras and recorders turned toward the arriving car. Noctis could hear them going nuts; loud voices piercing the Regalia’s structure with such a demanding manner that Noctis sank deeper into the seat.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered,” Gladio muttered next to him, his posture alert and eyes serious.

“Yeah, thanks,” Noctis said, but it came out rather weakly.

“Let’s give the press a very quick and positive announcement without any further ado,” Ignis reminded Noctis as the car pulled in front of the tower’s entrance.

A security guard hurried to open Gladio’s side’s door, and Gladio got up, circling the car to get Noctis out safely. Prompto was also helped out from the car, and he looked freaked out by the media masses, which yelled after prince, feverishly demanding at least a tiny snippet of an interview; all wanting to get the best spot closest to him and to capture the best news for the public.

 Ignis walked coolly next to Prompto, all four of the men surrounding Noctis with the help of the Tower’s security from the worst of the onslaught. The swarming flood of journalists billowed towards Noctis with force.

“Your Highness, Your Highness!” tens of voices yelled at the same time. “Please tell us about the Divine Mission? Why have you arrived here without the bride? Have you already found her?”

Like Noctis had practiced with Ignis, he stopped briefly, trying to look calm and well, and spoke with a comforting tone.

“The Divine Mission is going well and I’m paying great attention to it fulfill the mission according to the Astrals’ wishes. As soon as the bride has been found, there will be a public announcement.”

“But you haven’t found her yet?” one of the journalist with a funny hat yelled over the other, a recorder pointed sharply at Noctis’s direction.

“Unfortunately not yet, but the options are many and the world is a vast place. I guarantee that the Astrals are guiding me and everything is in order.”

With that, Noctis started to make way inside the tower, Gladio and Ignis shielding him from both sides, Prompto following right after him. The journalists yelled after Noctis with more demanding, louder voices; clearly unsatisfied with such short and vague answers. Noctis was scared of the commotion, and he was glad he didn’t have to face it alone. He had used to be able to live rather normally without media hunts so far - being able to go to school alone and such - but the Divine Mission’s media ruckus was something else. He didn’t envy his father at all. He let out a sigh of relief as soon as the elevator’s doors closed.

“Well handled, Noct,” Ignis complimented him shortly and he nodded in reply.  
  
Noctis prepared himself mentally for the party as soon as the elevator let out a bright bling sound; stating that they had arrived at floor 74. Noctis waited to be able to meet with his father and Lunafreya.

He definitely wanted to have a word with Luna.


	11. At Your Side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Noctis can't take it anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back home from Osaka! The trip was fun but I lost all my photos from my phone ToT But it's OK; I'm going to visit Japan many times in the future anyway.
> 
> For this fic; I've been writing far-far future chapters, fleshing them out, and I must say the story does surprise even me at times. I promise the fic won't end to the revelation, but we get to see Noctis and Prompto after that, too. Please be patient with the fic!
> 
> We'll be soon enjoying some erotic tension, too. Please look forward to it! NSFW chapters will be marked so you can skip them if that's not your cup of tea.
> 
> Thank you Scorpiselli for the proofreading! <3

The atmosphere in the party areas of The Orior Tower’s floors 74 and 75 was very relaxed and smooth. Hidden radios played tentative piano bossa nova for the joy of the guests, elegant servants weaved their way around the room with silver trays full of drinks or small cocktail snacks provided by the Lucis palace elegantly in their hands. The Crystal Day’s parties were always like this. Discreet and modest, elegant and graceful, without any too-strict etiquette rules bringing the relaxed mood down. As soon as Noctis entered the main room on floor 74, a servant was there bowing to him and offering a change of glass filled with champagne. He accepted the offer politely.

“I’m going to look for Luna,” Noctis informed Ignis who was behind him. “If you see her, let her know I want to have a word with her.”

“Certainly. Please enjoy your time, Noct. You could use some loosening up,” Ignis smiled at Noctis and whilst his words could be taken as pity or mockery, Noctis knew Ignis was worried for him. Why wouldn’t he be? It was Ignis’s job to worry about him.

“We’ll be heading on our way then,” Gladio added to Ignis’s words. Then turned his head towards Prompto. “Remember, Prompto. No intense skirt chasing here.”

“Hah, back at you!” Prompto snorted.

Noctis had already left them, walking determinedly forward into the masses of people and hoping to find Luna before too many of the guests could take notice of him. He was thankful for the dim, soothing lighting, which gave him some cover, but he knew it wouldn’t hide him completely – as much as he wanted it to. Finding Luna was kind of the easy part, as Noctis knew she would be dressed in her white oracle dress, as always. He just needed to spot a blonde woman in a specific white dress.

“Prince Noctis.”

Noctis halted in his tracks like he had walked into a wall, lifting his head up fast. He was faced with Cor, who looked at Noctis with the calm, unreadable expression he always had on.

“Cor. Nice to see you,” Noctis replied, doing his best not to look too anxious.

“As always, Young Prince,” he greeted back, bowing slightly to Noctis with a hand over his chest.

“How’s father?” Noctis asked, checking if King Regis was nearby.

Cor’s face darkened a bit.

“His Highness is not here, as he has been under the weather lately, but it’s nothing you should be concerned about,” he replied steadily.

Noctis’s face twisted.

“…Is it the Ring?” he hissed between his tight lips.

“Yes. But like I said, don’t trouble yourself with it. Just concentrate on what you need to do. I’m aware of how the mission has gone so far, but if you may, I’d like to get some details about it, directly from you. I will forward the news on to the king then,” Cor said, his eyes keenly trained on Noctis.

Noctis fidgeted a bit under his steely gaze. He hadn’t kept much of any contact to his father at all. He pondered if he should have. Maybe not?

“Cor, if possible, I’d like to find Luna first and have a few words with her about this all. After that I’m free to talk with you as long as you want. Is that alright?” he was somewhat unsure of how Cor would take his suggestion, but the man before Noctis only nodded slightly.

“Your Highness’s wishes are my commands. Please meet me on the 75th floor when you are free.”

“It won’t take long!” Noctis hurriedly said, feeling like it was a very bad idea to keep Cor waiting. Something in his posture and aura made Noctis respect him a lot; almost wanting to follow his words like a puppet. There was something unearthly and powerful in that man and anyone who came into contact with Cor would have sensed the same.

Politely Noctis excused himself and headed further into the room away from Cor’s presence. Some of the guests noticed him and asked for an audience with slight bows, and smiles on their lips, but Noctis politely declined them, apologizing that he was currently in the middle of something urgent. He promised that they would be able to talk later, as the evening was still young. Without listening whether the guests agreed with him or not he hastened his steps after getting spotted like that. He was franticly searching for the familiar white dress among all the cocktail dresses. His heart leaped with joy when he finally spotted Luna, talking with some elderly woman Noctis didn’t recognize. He felt a bit bad for barging in between them so suddenly, but he toned down his eagerness by calling Luna’s name softly and nodding his head to her as a greeting, a tiny smile on his lips. Luna’s expression was calmly delighted, and she nodded back at him.

“Your Highness, how wonderful that you could make it,” she spoke formally due to the elderly woman standing before her. The woman got the hint and left with a warm bidding of farewell to Lunafreya, bowing at Noctis on her way. As soon as she was gone, Noctis basically jumped next to Luna, his expression troubled.

“I desperately need a have a word with you,” he hissed at her in a low voice.

Luna gave him a questioning look, her eyebrows turning upwards with worry.

“I understand. Please follow me. We can find a quiet area to talk privately away from here,” she replied, taking a hold of the crook of Noctis’s arm, and started to guide him deeper into the room. Noctis followed her without question; his heart anxious and very eager to get to talk with Luna. He hadn’t realized how much he had missed her advice.

They found a small, isolated corner, far enough from the main event area to be private. Lunafreya let go of Noctis’s arm and turned to face him fully.

“Your face is so troubled and you seem stressed, dear Noctis,” she spoke compassionately, but her eyes were sad. “How can I help you?”

“I… I’m not exactly sure but I had hoped you would have some tricks or something helpful up your sleeve. I had to use one of the free questions and the answer we got doesn’t make any sense to any of us,” Noctis was hastily raking through his black hair with his fingers whilst speaking at a fast pace.

Lunafreya gave him a pitying smile.

“The Astrals do talk in riddles,” she agreed.

“Yeah, and I thought that maybe you would be able to solve the riddle for us. For me. Unless it is counted as using the last Divine Question I have left,” Noctis said, his brows knit tightly together.

“I can give you my personal answer as my own self. That won’t break the laws of the Divine Mission,” Lunafreya assured.

Noctis let out a relieved sigh. He had expected it to be okay, but hearing it come from Luna herself eased him a lot more. Thus Noctis dared to reveal Shiva’s riddle to her; which he had written on a piece of paper and tucked into his pocket. He pulled the paper out, unfolded it and read it very slowly, word by word, to Lunafreya:

  
Fair and lithe of frame, with hair of gold  
Something hidden, which has not been foretold  
Next to the King, the source of disgrace  
For people so hard to face  
  
Further way, the Five will lead  
Blooming out, the true love’s seed  
As only in the dark will the one see  
And the heart’s calling to truly heed  
  
Hard may this journey be  
Much harder for the King than the Lover, indeed  
Tears, joys and the distance  
At the Kings’ love’s and passion’s great assistance  


Lunafreya listened carefully each of the phrases, paying special attention to each of the words, as the Astrals never spoke anything unnecessary. Everything line in the Divine Answer was meant to guide the heir of Lucis toward their goal, and ultimately all the way up to the throne itself. She crossed her arms and patted her lips thoughtfully with her index finger.

“To be honest, the answer sounds a lot darker than I had anticipated,” she murmured, her gaze focused away from Noctis.

“That sort of freaks me out, too. I’m worried… Well, I don’t want to sound like a whiny brat, but I can’t help but fear that the partner the Astrals have assigned to me will only please them. Not the nation, not my people, not the Lucis bloodline, and not me,” Noctis’s tone was pained, his fingers curling into balled fists. He tucked the paper away.

“However, the message does mention true love, passion and the heart’s calling,” Lunafreya pointed out. “And this mission, this partner, has to be something which will help you, Noct. Something that serves Lucis. That’s how Divine Missions always are, for the Lucis bloodline’s greater good. Unfortunately, I must say I have no idea what the mixed messages in this riddle can possibly mean. There’s disgrace, tears and hate and yet there’s also true love, and heart, and blooming love’s seeds and such…”

“The part that says that the Five will lead the way puzzled me the most. We tried to figure out if it meant a fifth party member in this mission, but if so, how does that go together with the darkness?” Noctis said hoping to get some clearance regarding that part from Luna.

Luna closed her eyes and lifted her chin up, her silver earring dangling with the movement of her head.

“The Five comes before the hard journey for the King in the poem. It’s possible the Five will happen first, whatever it means… It sounds like its leading towards the darkness, which will make the love more visible, possibly either to you, to your loved one or to both of you,” Luna muttered.

“You think so?” Noctis could tell Lunafreya wasn’t absolutely sure about it, and she did indeed purse her lower lip thoughtfully.

“That’s one option. The line can be drawn there in a timeline sense, but… Please, tell me; what did you ask exactly? Maybe it helps me to come up with something.”

Noctis shifted his weight to another leg, blushing slightly.

“We met with Iris, thinking she might have been the one. There… was a promising start,” he circled the matter, not feeling comfortable talking about his private love life and emotions, not even with Luna. “But we weren’t sure, so Iris suggested we should ask Shiva about traits or some details about the Divine Partner. If it had fit her, then we would have waited a little longer to see if the spark would… fuel up to a proper flame, and determine if Iris was the One to be presented to Shiva. As you can tell, turns out Iris wasn’t the one, because the Divine Answer speaks of someone who is small, lithe and blond – and apparently not the best choice if you were to ask the people of Lucis...”

Lunafreya was listening carefully to Noctis’s explanation, her eyes now closed and chin back up as she kept thinking of the possible meanings of the riddle.

“That is a really tough one, Noct. If the riddle talks entirely about your partner, it’s always possible that you will have hard time in accepting the assigned partner. Like you said, Shiva has spoken about disgrace, about people not liking the choice of Shiva for some reason, and that the journey will be harder for the King than for the Lover. There’s also a mentioning of a journey in darkness, which could have a literal or a figurative meaning.”

Lunafreya’s ponderings didn’t soothe Noctis at all. Quite the opposite. He could feel how all the blood rushed from his face. His forehead felt cold and sweaty. He was stuck especially with the first part of Lunafreya’s statement:

“…You think the muttering about love means I need to learn to love my Divine partner? That I won’t love her at all at first? Is that why the people will also despise her?” he whispered with a scared face, shaking.

Luna just hummed, looking at Noctis with a cocked head.

“Perhaps. It could also mean that you need to learn to fight for your love no matter what; especially if the people of Lucis don’t like Shiva’s choice. The folks have raised up to resist their rulers over pettier matters than that throughout history,” Luna said.

Noctis was lost for words, so he just stared with a steely gaze in front of him, Lunafreya stepped closer and touched his upper arm gently. “Or, it could mean both. Learning to love your partner and then fighting for that love. Those are my three options regarding your Divine Answer. I’m sorry that I can’t help you out more. The riddle is puzzling even to me, and I’m even an Oracle for the Astrals’s sake. I’m sure the riddle will open up to you as you go on with your journey. You have already done so well with this difficult and vague mission, Noctis, so please, don’t beat yourself up or be so hard on yourself.”

A silent tear rolled down Noctis’s cheek, his lips quivering. Lunafreya gave him a motherly sigh and pulled Noctis into an embrace, letting him sob quietly against her shoulder. Noctis had his face hidden behind his palms, his posture telling Lunafreya that he was ashamed of himself. That he really didn’t feel like he was doing a good job. It had already been long since he had first left on the mission. There had been no advancements made in it, from what Lunafreya had heard about Noctis’s journey – and she didn’t need to hear any more, as Noctis sniveling into her embrace told her everything. She pondered if Iris had been Noctis’s best shot and how disappointed he must have felt when Shiva had said he hadn’t found the one love yet. How much pressure was Noctis carrying in his heart due to his given assignment from the Astrals?

“I’m so fucking tired,” Noctis sobbed out a curse, something rarely heard from his lips. “I’m constantly aware of what will happen if I fail. How everyone will be doomed if I can’t do this. I’m so afraid of failure. So afraid that I have somehow missed the right partner already. So afraid that this will take years and years to accomplish. How can I explain that to anyone? How can call myself Lucis Caelum if I can’t solve this mission? Now, on top of that, the riddle sounds like a doom sentence with no happy ending,” he wailed with whispers, his arms finally encircling around Luna’s waist for emotional support. His shoulders trembled.

“Noctis. You have grown up so much in this short period of time,” Lunafreya said tenderly, stroking his hair. “You care.”

Yes. If anything, Noctis had learned to care. Too much.

 

\------------------------------

 

Cor’s head turned lazily towards Noctis, accompanied by Gladio’s attention also turning to Noctis. The two men were leaning against a tall table’s surface, standing face to face each other with champagne glasses half empty in front of them. Noctis should have known that if Cor and Gladio were in the same place, they would somehow gravitate towards each other and end up talking about super manly stuff. Something which didn’t concern Noctis. He just hoped they couldn’t see that he had just been crying.

“I’m sorry if I’m late,” he apologized to Cor, who declined the apology casually.

“Your timing is perfect.”

“I’ll leave you two to catch up then,” Gladio said, disappearing from the table. Noctis took his place, giving Cor a timid smile.

“So, you had something on your mind?” he asked.

“I was just hoping to hear how your mission was coming together, but I actually ended up talking about that with Gladiolus. My apologies,” Cor replied.

“It’s cool,” Noctis said, actually feeling happy Gladio had covered his back. He was sort of afraid he would burst into tears again if Cor kept pestering him for the details of the Divine Mission so far.

“My condolences regarding Iris. She would have been a perfect match,” Cor took a sip from his glass, eyes sharply trained on Noctis.

Noctis didn’t like how Cor’s eyes looked as if they could read minds. He cleared his throat.

“It would have been a good solution. Not only for me but also for Gladio. I think he’s the most disappointed of us all.”

“I can see why. He’s very protective over Iris and who would have been a better husband candidate than the Prince of Lucis, whom Gladio has been around his whole life, training him to be a fine warrior. I can see that you have grown a bit. But just a little,” Cor smirked, surprising Noctis that the man was actually capable of joking.

“What can I say,” Noctis offered, honestly not knowing how he should have replied to Cor’s joke. “So, father couldn’t come? He’s alright, isn’t he?” Noctis changed the subject.

“King Regis is fine, like I stated earlier. He decided to rest today after the Crystal Day’s ceremony, just in case. He sends his best wishes to you.”

Noctis heart dashed at Cor’s words. How much his father had always supported him. How much did he trust in him, trusted him to finish the Divine Mission like a proper heir of the Lucis bloodline. Noctis’s throat tightened.

“Please, send my best wishes back to my father. I must excuse myself suddenly, especially if Gladio has already shared with you the details you wanted. People have been pestering me from left and right to talk with them,” he lied, his fingers crossed that Cor’s piercing eyes wouldn’t probe out the truth; that Noctis just wanted to leave and go somewhere to calm his mind until new set of tears could break free. Inside he was still feeling shaky.

“It’s hard to be royalty,” Cor said calmly, signaling a waitress to bring him a new glass. “Until we meet again, Young Prince. Safe travels. May the Astrals be favorable to you.”

“As well as to you, sir,” Noctis bowed deeply as a sign of respect.

He turned on his heels, striding with long steps toward the men’s room. He knew the floor 74 had an off-limits toilet area, as the guests were guided to the other restrooms which were scattered here and there on both floors. He had seen the “no entry” restroom hallway on his way to Cor, and being royalty he could easily convince servants to let him in there. To Noctis’s luck no servants were nearby the closed off area, and he slipped over the red band swiftly, heading straight into the restroom. It was quiet and empty, just what Noctis needed now. When the restroom door closed behind him with a click, a sob broke out from Noctis’s lips.

He felt utterly useless and so embarrassed for not being able to keep himself together like a Lucis Caelum. It hurt him. Hurt him to think just how many people were cheering him on, trusting in him, and expecting him to return back as the approved king. How Ignis, Gladio and Prompto patiently traveled with him from place to place, ready to serve and help him with anything. Tears started to stream down from his tightly closed eyes. How long would this journey take?  A year? Two? A decade? How could he even ask Gladio, Ignis or Prompto to follow him for so long, robbing them away from their own lives, from their own families? What if his father’s health were to decrease suddenly? What could he do if the King was forced to resign and there he was still, looking for the right damsel of whom he had no idea of? Who would, on top of it all, be hated by his people, in the worst case scenario hated by Noctis himself too. When Shiva said the trip would be difficult, just how difficult was Shiva’s difficult? Noctis couldn’t understand how his journey could get any more difficult, any more demanding and devastating than it already was. The longer he traveled the less he saw any reason for it to help with love and loving. This mission was shit.

He jolted, startled, as the door - which wasn’t supposed to open – behind him opened. Hastily Noctis wiped his eyes and straightened his back, adjusting his black tie with a deep breath. He planned to run past the person quickly with his head bowed down and go hiding somewhere else as soon as they would tell him this area was off-limits.

“Noct, are you okay?”

Noctis heart jumped and he turned on his heels like lighting. It was Prompto, in his grey suit, standing in the doorframe. The sweet Prompto, who always cheered him up, always somehow managed to pop up at the right moment, no matter where Noctis was.

Prompto’s expression was utterly worried as he stepped further in, the door closing after him.

“What are you doing here, Noct? This area is off-limits. Are you crying?”

“What are you doing in an area that is off-limits as well?” Noctis tried to chuckle, but Prompto’s face twisted. He looked angry and annoyed.

“I was looking for you and I saw you coming here. Good thing I did follow you. Like hell I’d let my best friend be left alone when he’s upset,” Prompto declared with a stern look, closing the space between him and Noctis, and wrapping his arms around a surprised Noctis’s neck. Noctis’s lips parted, eyes widening.

“It’s alright, Noct. No matter what it is, I’ve got your back,” Prompto muttered into his ear, hugging him tighter.

Noctis couldn’t fight against the whirling pool of sadness, against the stress that had been building inside of his mind for months. He broke into tears again, body trembling, and hugged Prompto back tightly, pressing his head down with a sad whine.

“I’m so sorry,” he cried, but Prompto didn’t listen to such talk. He shook his head fiercely.

“No need, man. I’ve got you. Remember when Ignis told me you looked after me when that Holy Bomb got me? Let me look after you now.”

Noctis cried. Cried and wailed sadly, ashamed that he wasn’t as strong as he wanted to be. He was not like his father was. He wasn’t what people expected from The King and right now he felt like he would never be good enough for that role. He cried and sobbed, holding onto Prompto like he was drowning. Seeing all the people at the Crystal Day party and coming back to Insomnia just underlined to Noctis the fact of how many people’s lives were dependent on his success or failure. Cor’s words on the ceremonial day of the possibility of a war breaking out between Lucis and the other nations in a situation where Noctis failed strangled him. How many would die if he failed?

“What if this is a sign?” he sobbed heart-breakingly into Prompto’s neck. “What if I’m not meant to be the King and thus I’m given a Divine Mission I can’t complete? Seven months and all in vain. I’m so tired, Prompto. I just want this to be over. I should never have accepted the mission if I can’t see it to the end. I don’t want to cause a war or dishonor my bloodline.”

Prompto shushed Noctis softly, nuzzling his head closer to his.

“That’s crazy talk, Noct. Why wouldn’t the Astrals want you to have the throne? Of course you’ll do it! We’ll find the Divine Partner. We already got a message that helps us look in the right direction. You still have one question left. Don’t give up now, Noct. You’re a sore looser and you’d hate it if the bad talking, rumor spreading shit heads won,” Prompto pep-talked Noctis, his voice oddly fiery.

“I feel so bad asking so much from you, Gladio and Ignis. What if this takes years? What if it takes ten? What if---“

Prompto cut the babbling Noctis off by pulling his head backwards, his arms still around Noctis’s neck. He gave a flaring look to the miserable Noctis.

“I don’t care how long this takes. Even if it takes a year or ten years, I’m not leaving you until you have found your babe, got that crown and I can be the bestman at your wedding. Even if Gladio and Ignis left, I wouldn’t, ever!” he vowed with such strength that it took Noctis by surprise, wrenching his heart with appreciation. He sobbed with a shivering hiccup.

What had he done to deserve as good a friend as Prompto?

Noctis wept hollowly with hiccups, his hands around Prompto’s waist. Prompto’s palms were wiping away his big tears whenever one rolled down his wet cheeks. Noctis felt so cared for and loved he was feeling guilty about it. He really didn’t deserve such a loyal friend as Prompto. He hiccupped again, pressing his chin down.

“Can I kiss you?” he stuttered with moist eyes, lips pouting.

Prompto’s eyes widened and he chuckled awkwardly.

“Kiss me?” he repeated stretching the words while wiping tears away with his expensive suit’s pocket square from Noctis’s eyes.

Noctis looked horribly ashamed, his face tinted with red, eyelashes wet.

“When you taught me how to kiss Iris… That kiss… It kind of numbed my mind. For a moment I was unable to think or worry about anything. So… I was thinking that maybe it would happen again… That I could empty my mind, even for a few seconds. It would ease me up,” Noctis explained awkwardly, his gaze averted from Prompto’s eyes. “I know it’s stupid and sounds horrible and I really shouldn’t even suggest you something like that…”

“Nah, I’m good. If I can help you out with this mission, I’ll do it. I told you as much, didn’t I? I’d kiss my best friend any day, especially if it helps him to feel better. That’s what friends are for,” Prompto smiled back caringly, his face sunny and sure.

“Kisses are sort of embarrassing. And crying,” Noctis gulped down the last sob that tried to come out. Prompto only laughed at him.

“Not as embarrassing as breaking down in front of all the VIP guests at the Crystal Day’s party and letting that scene reach the ears of media and soon every single living being in Lucis knows about it. So, clear your mind. I insist. After that we’ll wash your face, cool your eyes down with cold water, take deep breaths to get your face looking fresh and go out there with your head held up high. Like real royalty. Trust me, I know how to fake confidence and get your face fresh after crying,” Prompto told Noctis in a brotherly tone; his voice so determined that Noctis couldn’t help but give a timid smile.

“Alright, it’s a deal,” he nodded.  A wide smile rose up on Prompto’s face and he shifted in Noctis’s hold.

“So, Weepy Prince; where’s my kiss?” he grinned widely, fidgeting his body playfully.

Noctis tried to scoff, but it came out as a half-snort due his clogged nose, all to Prompto’s amusement. His cheeks and nose were flushed, and for a moment it looked like Noctis was about to say something to Prompto, but his parted lips didn’t utter any words. Instead, they reached shyly towards Prompto’s grinning lips, sort of unsure if Prompto’s promise to kiss his best friend if he wanted, was indeed alright with Prompto. Prompto accepted Noctis’s mouth with a short flirty giggle, replying to his kiss with eyes closing softly.

Noctis’s heart was racing fast underneath his black suit, his palms sweating over Prompto’s narrow waist. Kissing Prompto did soothe his mind. It numbed the bad, dark feelings lurking inside his heart, the nagging idea of failure at the back of his head, but what the kiss did the most was to heat up his body, speeding up his heartbeat so much Noctis could hear it in his ears. Prompto’s mouth was warmer than he remembered. A lot softer and more playful, too. Noctis’s head was tilting on its own to get better access between those thin lips of his best friend. The longer he kissed Prompto, slowly and shyly at first, the emptier his head got, attention drawn from his mind to his lower stomach; a burning, pleasant sensation washing over his whole body. He took a tighter hold of Prompto, kissing him with a slowly increasing hunger. Prompto whimpered back at him with a pleased, muffled sigh, clearly not minding Noctis deepening the kiss between them.

The air between them burned Noctis’s lips and he had to break the kiss to get some air, also giving Prompto a second to breath – but only a second; Noctis’s mouth had pressed back on Prompto’s feverishly in the blink of an eye. Noctis was sure his heart would jump out of his chest soon but he couldn’t stop. His skin was burning and lips tingling, the kiss tasting like the champagne Prompto had had during the evening. He wanted to push his tongue inside Prompto’s mouth but he didn’t dare - That would have been too much. Instead, Noctis snaked his hands behind Prompto’s back, pulling him closer, humming into the kiss from his chest. Prompto sighed against his lips softly and that sound went straight to Noctis’s groin; burning him.

Finally, Prompto broke the kiss, slightly out of breath, his face so very pretty when his freckles were decorated with a faint blush.

“Wow, you sure had a lot on your mind,” he teased Noctis playfully, his arms still around Noctis’s neck.

A cold shiver ran over Noctis and he blushed even more, scared that he had been too forceful.

“I… I’m sorry…” he stuttered, trying to say he hadn’t meant to kiss Prompto that long or that intensely, but Prompto only laughed at him sheepishly.

“No harm done. You wanted to have kissing lessons, yeah? This can be one, too. Besides, I promised I’d kiss you. Once or twice or for one minute or for fifteen minutes, I really don’t care. If it makes you feel better and happy, then it makes me happy, too,” Prompto assured, “Like, I’d be useful in some way to you on this trip, yes?” he looked sort of apologetic, withdrawing slowly from Noctis’s hold.

Noctis let him go, painfully aware that he wanted to kiss Prompto again someday. One minute or fifteen minutes, he didn’t care. Kissing made him happy and he did enjoy it, even though he had always thought of it as tacky and gross and overrated saliva exchanging. But Prompto was good at it – or so Noctis thought, not knowing how kissing was supposed to feel or be, to be considered good. He almost wanted to ask could he request kisses whenever he was worried or anxious, or if it was something he should do only on the verge of breaking down.

“You’ve helped me tremendously, and I don’t just mean with these… kisses…” Noctis gestured toward Prompto awkwardly, getting more embarrassed of his blushing face and the way he had just been weighing up the possible opportunities for another round of kissing.

“Really? Thanks, Noct! That really makes me feel better,” Prompto said, bobbing his head happily up and down. He crossed his arms and took a look at Noctis with his head tilting toward his shoulder. “So, are we done? Mind eased? Steam blown? You still need a hand with something? I’m always ready to listen – and to kiss, I really don’t mind kissing guys – and my shoulders are always open for crying against them if needed.”

“You’d kiss guys just like that?” Noctis smirked, his face impish and evil. His heart did skip an extra beat, though, for knowing Prompto was fine with guy kisses.

“Not all of them,” Prompto defended himself. “Quite frankly, you are currently the only guy I will kiss, just so you know.”

That knowledge warmed Noctis’s soul tremendously, making his heart leap once more. It was nice feeling to know you were somehow special to someone, even it was just friends helping each other out.

“Yeah. Same here. And I’m all good now,” Noctis replied when he realized he hadn’t answered Prompto’s original question.

Noctis wiped his eyes with his fingers, getting rest of the moistness away from his eyelashes. Prompto was fussing in front of him immediately with his pocket square, wiping Noctis’s eyes and then turning playfully to wipe around his whole face like a mom cleaning up her dirt covered son. Noctis pushed the pocket square away from his face whilst trying to act annoyed, Prompto only laughing at his expression.

They calmed down Noctis’s still burning, red eyes with cold water, washed his face and took deep breaths to get Noctis’s facial color back to normal. Prompto inspected Noctis’s face from close range, giving him a thumps up.

“All set! You look good, Noct!”

“Thanks…” he hesitantly gave back a tiny smile, “The grey suit suits you well, too,” he added.

“Aaw, thanks! I wasn’t going for grey, but the tailor said it would complement my skin color and these freckles. Can you believe that something would complement them? I don’t like them that much. They make my face look like I’m blushing 24/7 and that’s so un-manly,” he said.

“You _are_ un-manly,” Noctis joked, slapping Prompto playfully.

“Says the Noodle Prince,” Prompto replied wittily, slapping Noctis back, who laughed at him. Then he got suddenly serious.

“Prompto… Thank you. I really mean it,” Noctis thanked Prompto sincerely. Prompto’s expression melted into something soft and radiant.

“No sweat. Like I said, I’ve got your back. I won’t tell anyone about this, so rest assured. I’d never do anything to embarrass or humiliate my best buddy, Noct.”

Carefully Noctis and Prompto opened the restroom door, peeking around to see if there were any witnesses nearby. They got to the red string with the “No Entry” sign easily, and after making sure no one would see them, they slipped under it casually and made their way back to the event area. Prompto was whistling with his hands in his pockets, Noctis following him quietly, his head up high like Prompto had told him to do.

As they made their way inside the 75th floor’s party area, they suddenly came across Lunafreya.

“Oh, if it isn’t the gentleman Prompto and his no good Prince friend, Noctis,” she teased them with a smile. Her eyes traveled to Noctis, “How are you?”

“Better,” he replied shortly, getting a puzzled look from Prompto. “I had a moment earlier,” Noctis explained to Prompto with a shift gesture toward Lunafreya.

“Ah, with her, too?” Prompto asked, slamming his palms over his mouth with a shocked expression. “Oh shi--! I didn’t mean to…!”

“I can tell what’s going on from Noctis’s face. Oracle stuff,” Lunafreya soothed both of the guys down. “Good thing you were there for him, Prompto.”

“Ah, well, it was nothing…” he blushed suddenly and Noctis wished Luna couldn’t read the kiss he had shared with Prompto from his face. He fought back a blush.

“Friends are good to have around, right, Noctis?” Luna asked softly, turning then to make her leave. “I’m sorry for such a short exchange of words, but I must go look for my brother. Before I go, a few words for you, Noctis, if I may?”

“Of course,” Noctis nodded.

“Please take care of your friends the same way they take care of you. This journey will have – like all journeys throughout history – its bumps and turns. Keep your loved ones close to you. You never know how important they may end up being in your life’s journey.”

“I will. Thank you.”

“If I come up with any new ideas about the meaning of Shiva’s message, I will let you know,” she promised, reaching to touch Noctis’s shoulder with an encouraging nod. Noctis returned the gesture with a nod, bidding her farewell.

“You told her about the riddle?” Prompto asked, both of them staring at Luna’s distancing back till she had disappeared into the crowd.

“Yes. I wanted to talk with her as soon as I’d realized I’d had a chance for it. She did give some thoughts, but she was as surprised as to the message’s content as we were.”

“Hmm, I hope we can solve it soon,” Prompto bit his lower lip anxiously. “But, I’d say don’t stress over it, Noct. You’d got us thinking it over with you, and I’m sure Ignis has been going through it without resting all the time that he’s awake, even when it doesn’t look like it. He can somehow do one thing and think a completely different thing, both with hundred percent focus, and make it look like nothing extraordinary was going on.”

“Ignis’s got a good head on his shoulders, that’s for sure,” Noctis agreed, feeling somehow relieved. The kiss had indeed helped him to get his spirits back and now, when Prompto was keeping him company, the mental breakdowns felt like they had only been bad dreams.

“Should we go pester Gladio?” Prompto suggested with an evil smirk, seemingly having some kind of malicious plan at Gladio’s expense.

“How about we spend this evening together somewhere far away from everyone? I’m not too excited about talking with all the people here. They’ll just keep asking the same questions over and over again, and I just got my head into a better place,” Noctis suggested.

Prompto grinned from ear to ear, throwing his arm over Noctis’s shoulder.

“Anything you want, bro.”

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By the way; you are always MOST WELCOMED to create art, fics, ficlets, doodles ect. from The Loveless Prince. Actually, I'd die if you did..! If you do, let me know so I can see them; you can tag call me in Tumblr and Twitter as niuniente


	12. The Rumors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Noctis is worried of Prompto.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Life happened and we couldn't get the chapter update out earlier than this with the proofreader but actually everything turned out great; today is my birthday and I always update fics on my birthday if I happen to have any fics running. So, perfect timing and Happy Birthday to me!
> 
> ALSO! There's a special birthday treat for all of my readers; a nsfw Promptis oneshot called "A Spoiled Prince". Please head here for reading:  
> archiveofourown.org/works/10415091
> 
> Thank you again for Scorpiselli for the proofreading job well done!

Noctis was completely exhausted when he was finally able to sit down together with Prompto, after endless conversations with guests here and guests there, all of them oh so very curious as to hear the latest news of Noctis’s journey. He did as Ignis had said and repeated the same things – with slightly different words and sentences – to guests over here and guests over there. He was glad Prompto had been with him the whole time, including helping him to get his posture back after the mental breakdown, as no one noticed from Noctis’s face that he’d been crying twice already this evening. He almost wanted to cry a third time, only from joy this time when his behind landed on a leather bar stool.

“I’m sorry that took so long,” Noctis apologized to Prompto.

“No problem. It was good PR for you to talk with the guests,” Prompto replied.

Prompto stopped a passing waitress by lifting his hand up silently, and the waitress placed two champagne glasses on the table. Noctis realized now that he hadn’t drunken his first glass – actually, he couldn’t remember where he had left it when he had dashed out to look for Luna.

“I’m so happy to be here. My first time ever in something this fancy. I was worried I wouldn’t fit in, but this place is very relaxed,” Prompto said with soft eyes, whirling the champagne around in his glass.

“Crystal Day parties are always like this, though I guess the place choice has eased people’s minds so they can sort of dare to be more relaxed than inside our palace,” Noctis said.

“Yeah, the palace is a scary place. I almost passed out from sheer anxiety the first time I visited,” Prompto told him and Noctis chuckled.

“I remember that. You were white as a sheet.”

“And my stomach was upset,” Prompto pointed out, a bit ashamed.

“But no upset stomach here so far?”

Prompto lifted his head up, smiling brightly at Noctis.

“Nope. Not a single churn. It must be this suit. Somehow I feel different in it. Kinda strong and confident and funnily enough, manly too,” he explained while taking a sip.

“You look completely different, too. The outfit does suit you. Maybe you should wear a suit more often,” Noctis leaned against his palm, his eyes inspecting Prompto.

Prompto got cutely boggled.

“Uh, like go more for Ignis’s style? You think I’d rock that?” he stuttered unsure.

Noctis chuckled once more.

“Sure. I bet you’d rock any outfit!”

Prompto’s mouth widened into a mischievous smirk.

“Even a princess dress?” he teased.

Noctis was in the game immediately; “Pfft, even Luna’s oracle dress!” he exclaimed boldly, feeling good for having a chance to have a stupid conversation with Prompto.

“Huh, so that’s what you’re into? Guess I’ll deliver the promised pic in a dress, then,” Prompto’s eyes flashed victoriously.

“Cut that out!” Noctis laughed, his grin surprisingly wide. It felt good to be around Prompto, to catch some breath with chit chatting after the refined small talk. He hoped he’d get better with it as he grew older and more confident.

“Anyway, Luna hasn’t send any messages to you about Shiva’s riddle?” Prompto asked, whirling the drink in his glass thoughtfully.

Noctis had to chuckle at Prompto.

“I don’t think she’d figure it out so fast; especially when she’s most likely busy baby sitting Ravus,” Noctis grinned, not even trying to hide what he thought about Lunafreya’s brother.

“Yeah, Ravus gives me creeps,” Prompto mumbled. Then, his eyes shot up to Noctis underneath his pale eyebrows, his glare mischievous, “Ravus would fit Shiva’s description though...” he said in a sing-song tone.

Noctis snorted, amused.

“I’d go for the brother instead of Luna?” he smirked, his face unimpressed.

Prompto just shrugged at his own joke.

“I mean, why not?” he continued, getting a slap from Noctis on the top of his head.

They continued their chatting and playful fooling till Noctis decided that perhaps it would be best to leave to sleep. They’d need to go off on a wife hunt tomorrow anyway, and what Noctis wanted to do while they spent the night in Insomnia was to sleep in a comfortable bed, in the city he loved the most.

 

\-----------------

 

The road opening up in front of Noctis was empty, emptier than usual, and he pondered whether people were still too tired after the national Crystal Day’s celebration to be out in the early morning. They passed a house which had a yard for Chocobos, two of the yellow birds lazily sitting on the ground in the sunlight. Prompto screamed in delight when he saw them, but missed his chance to take a picture of them.

“Can we go to a Chocobo farm someday?” he asked Noctis, his eyes glimmering hopefully.

“Sure. Someday,” Noctis promised.

“I want to see the fluffy chicks and pet them,” Prompto was nodding to himself happily, his attention turning to his phone, which he had pulled out from his jacket.

“You’d better watch out though; they might mistake you for their mom with that hair,” Noctis teased him, earning a grumpy snort from Prompto. Then his face melted.

“Aaw, actually, that’d be cute. I’d be surrounded by fluffy Chocochicks. Ah, heaven!” he dreamed out loud, his grin widening. Noctis took a peek at his phone to see Prompto was going through all the Chocobo farms nearby. Either he hadn’t understood or didn’t care that Noctis hadn’t promised that they’d go to see the birds right now or even tomorrow.

“Oh, Ramuh’s ass crack!” Gladio suddenly yelped loudly from the backseat and bounced straight up. He was holding his phone so tightly that it looked like it would break apart any moment.

“What, couldn’t get through that level you’ve been stuck on?” Prompto asked from the front seat, his head back down towards his own phone after he had checked out what Gladio was yelling at behind him. Noctis took a peek at Gladio via the rear-view mirror as he was behind the wheel.

“What is it?” he asked, when the frown on Gladio’s face just grew wider and deeper.

“Listen to this; ‘Prince Noctis was seen spending most of the Crystal Party - which was hosted in his honor in the Orior Tower yesterday - with his friend Prompto Argentum. Prompto has been part of the prince’s life since his teenage years. Old classmates have been revealing that the prince and his friend were inseparable even at school. The Prince was said to share a few short words with the guests at the party, but his friend Prompto seemed to interest him more than anything else. While the prince has been on his journey for more than half a year, no news or sighting of any lady company has been spread to public. This has recently started rumors and speculations as to the prince’s sexual orientation, which after Crystal Party events, have started to surface again.”

Noctis almost drove into the ditch. He hit the brakes so fast Prompto’s head nearly mashed with the window shield and Gladio almost dropped his phone.

“WHAT?” Noctis squeaked with an utterly shocked face, turning hastily to Gladio’s side. Gladio was still looking at his phone intensely, continuing:

“’From the information which The Snapshot has been able to acquire, His Royal Highness has never had a girlfriend, nor any mysterious women have ever been seen at his side. While Lunafreya Nox Fleuret was confirmed as his political bride-to-be before The Divine Mission, some have risen to question whether the marriage arrangement was supposed to act only as a PR trick and a way to assure a new heir to Lucis’s throne for the future. There have been no reports of any sign of romance between the now ditched couple-to-be, not even in the past, but Miss. Nox Fleuret’s and Prince Lucis Caelum’s relationship could be - at its best - called a relationship between an older sister and a younger brother. In this context the prince seems to be questioningly close with Prompto Argentum.’” Gladio finished with a stern voice.

“That’s insane! Such lies! How dare they?!” Noctis spat, furious for being humiliated by a trash journalism magazine. “I’m doing my fucking best with this insane mission and that’s the shit they feed to the people of Lucis?! That’s bullshit!”

Prompto was completely pale next to him in the passenger seat, so white that he looked like he had ascended from a grave. Ignis, however, was as annoyed and furious as Gladio and Noctis were.

“That’s the lowest any journalist – I mean, a rat – can fall. Such lie spreaders shouldn’t even be called journalists if you ask me,” he stated icily.

Noctis hit the wheel with his hand, growling angrily. He was completely pissed off, so pissed off he just wanted to hit his head against the nearest wall. Or commit arson at The Snapshot’s office.

“How dare they imply that I’m not taking this seriously? That I’m just – I’m sorry, I don’t mean this Prompto – fooling around with my best friend while Lucis’s future is on my shoulders! On my own shoulders!! Alone!” he screamed and raged. His hands went up to his hair, “And that shit about Luna, too! Of course I care about her! Yes, it was supposed to be an arranged marriage, but that’s how royal marriages always are!”

“Let me see the news,” Ignis asked Gladio, who handed his phone to him.  Ignis’s eyes narrowed quickly. “This is definitely going to affect us in one way or another; if nothing else, some bride options might turn us down, as there are some very old fashioned families who flinch at even a hint of some other sexuality than the norm straight.”

“But I’m not gay!!” Noctis whined with a twisted face, looking over the seat at Ignis.

“We know that, but the public loves gossip like this and some families don’t want to take any risks,” Ignis explained calmly.

“Did you see the pics?” Gladio asked, leaning closer to Ignis to look at the phone screen as Ignis scrolled the news down.

“What pics?!” Noctis barked and basically crawled over his seat, reaching for the phone in Ignis’s hand. Ignis had no time to react and lost the phone to the prince, who frantically went through the news, finally seeing the photos Gladio had mentioned; him sitting with Prompto at the table, both of them laughing. Another photo of both of them standing so that it looked like they were just a bit too close to each other, and finally a photo of them leaving the place together – which wasn’t strictly true as they had caught up with Gladio and Ignis – but again readers were given the impression they were almost secretly running away from everyone. Running into some hidden gay lair to do all kind of naughty things royalty shouldn’t do.

“This is shit! None of this is true! Can’t I spend time with my best friend like normal people?”” Noctis was howling in rage and fury. 

“Please, Noct, calm down. We’re all upset about this fake news but we shouldn’t pay any attention to them. If people see you raging about this, their view of you will only go lower,” Ignis took the phone back from Noctis calmly.

Prompto had found the same news and photos with his phone, and was going through them with biting his lower lip strongly.

“You can make illusions with photos easily when you know what you’re doing. Even a normal every day thing such as talking with someone can be shot and then edited in a way that it looks like the scene of something completely different; like a magick drug dealer meeting or similar,” Prompto spoke softly, his voice very thin. He closed the web browser and put his phone back into his pocket. “I’m sorry, Noct. I didn’t know I’d cause such a problem. I was just happy to be around you because that high and fancy place with all VIPs actually made me nervous and because of that I didn’t want to be alone.”

Noctis was sure he heard a light sob in Prompto’s tone. Quickly he turned to Prompto’s side, sitting back on his seat.

“What that shit magazine writes is nothing but Behemoth’s crap. You haven’t done anything wrong. None of us has!” his eyes were flaring when he saw how much the paparazzi rumors were affecting Prompto, though he tried to hide it. When Prompto didn’t react fast enough to Noctis, he opened his mouth again; “Don’t you even dare to think you’d cause problems for me. You’re my best friend.”

“Oh dear, I found another similar kind of post, most likely based on The Snapshot’s fake story,” Ignis heaved. “This is bolder as the title says ‘Prince Noctis = Gay?’ and then there are the same photos, with the text ‘Is this evidence that the Prince is more interested in his best friend Prompto Argentum than his Divine Wife? The two of them have been reportedly seen together almost everywhere, including Club Clap at Lestallum.”

“Oh shit!” Prompto gasped, his head bolting up. “I’m sorry, Noct! I took you there to dance! I thought it would be safe because we had just started our journey and…! I should have…!” he was starting to panic, looking like big tears would burst out from his shocked eyes any second.

“Prompto, it’s fine. I told you no harm is done,” Noctis assured, this time with a calmer tone, though the fire inside of him was still raging high and hot. He placed his hand on top of Prompto’s shoulder to get his message through. It seemed to calm Prompto down a little.

“I agree with Noctis. This is the first time the Prince is officially outside of Insomnia on an official journey of his own. Of course media will try to milk everything they can from it. Let’s just hope they won’t go too crazy. I recommend we stay on the move as much as possible and consider the bridal options with even more care from now on - at least till the rumors die down. There’s always a chance that if we come across a family that resents Noct for whatever reason, they can cause us harm if they believe these rumors. In a worst case scenario, if they get very upset the prince turned down their daughter, they use these rumors as their weapon against us. They might want to sing all kind of lies to the media,” Ignis was muttering, going through his files of brides thoughtfully. “I can already tell we should avoid the multimillionaire Multa’s family completely and minister of Justice Insula’s daughter Herba, as the intelligence team revealed she has had connections to groups oppressing different sexually orientated people in her teenage years and we can’t make sure if she still has that same mindset or not.”

“Hmmm, in a sense this rumor shit could help us?” Gladio had relaxed, too, going through the list with Ignis, taking the notes about the Multa family and Herba from Ignis’s hand and crumpling them into small balls inside of his strong fists.

“Everything always has two sides,” Ignis agreed.

Noctis, however, wasn’t pleased with any of this. It made the feelings of him being inferior to his ancestors, not good enough for the throne, steam up again from the back of his heart. He hissed angrily and took hold of the wheel. He couldn’t let anyone know how he was truly feeling. He had to go through with this. Had to face everything and anything that fate was throwing at his feet asking him to climb over.

“Alright, so where we will head now?” he asked Ignis, also taking a look at Prompto, who was sitting next to him quietly, his head bent down. His eyes were sort of empty and yet sad. Noctis made a note to comfort Prompto properly when he had the chance for that. If Noctis was the cause for Prompto’s bad mood, he would definitely do his best to cheer up his friend.

“Let’s continue as planned and head for the baronet’s manor. That should be a safe destination and most likely they haven’t heard any rumors yet. Their daughter is a valid option, at least on paper,” Ignis said.

Noctis wanted to note that almost anyone looked like a valid option on paper. They really hadn’t come up with any new meanings for Shiva’s message, so the little riddle seemed like a complete waste of time if you asked Noctis. Actually, this whole mission seemed like a waste of time to him. So far it hadn’t brought anything but bad news and setbacks. His heart sank when he thought of if these bad rumors about him would affect his father’s health.

 

\-----------------------------------------

 

The rumors about the prince had reached the ears of baronet - or mostly his daughter, who profoundly refused to even see the prince, stating she didn’t care whether the rumors were true or not. Right now she had important personal business and plans for the future, which couldn’t take even the slightest taint of anything which could affect her. When asked if she understood that the gods had made the decision for the partner, not a living human being, she had simply replied that the prince might as well return later, if she ended up being the wife after all - right now she didn’t see any chances of that. Noctis was happy the feeling was mutual, but Ignis’s face said that he was hugely disappointed.

While returning back to the car from yet another miss, Noctis pondered if the failures were starting to affect Ignis’s spirit, too. He wanted to soothe him somehow, but the words just didn’t come out. Gladio patted Ignis on the back instead of Noctis, and told the man to cheer up, reminding him that if Ignis didn’t see a reason for the marriage to work, it was unlikely the gods saw it either. Noctis had to agree with that. Ignis was sharp, so sharp even the gods should give him some credit. He told Ignis not to take things too seriously, but to ease up before he collapsed under stress. Ignis simply noted that he wasn’t that weak; but Noctis could see a hint in his eyes that Ignis was starting to second guess his ability to bring proper and suitable information to the prince.

By that evening more rumors about Noctis had spread from the Crystal Party, as some unknown source had hinted to The Snapshot that they had heard Noctis talking how he should go for Ravus Nox Fleuret instead of Lunafreya. Prompto almost burst into a howling cry after hearing Gladio reading that part from the Snapshot’s web page out loud, and it had taken all of their efforts to keep him calm and not let any tears come out from his guilty looking eyes. A few tears had escaped from Prompto, despite Ignis, Gladio and Noctis’s best efforts; the rest of them he had sucked up.

“It was a joke between me and Prompto,” Noctis said for the fifth time now, not so much for Gladio’s displeased face but for Prompto’s guilt ridden one. Noctis was sitting next to Prompto on their trailer bed; a trailer they had rented far away from everyone to get some time to think in peace. Prompto’s head hung low and Noctis was feeling guilty for it.

“I suspect The Snapshot is after us now and we need to be somewhat careful with our moves. However, we can’t bend to the will of some trash journalists; we’re going to continue this trip and ignore the rumors the best we can. If someone takes them too seriously, then it’s a good indication that such a person isn’t worthy of Lucis’s throne next to Noct,” Ignis spoke calmly, placing plates on the table.

“No random talks with anyone in public until this storm has quieted down,” Gladio agreed with Ignis; giving a brotherly glare to Noctis and Prompto. Prompto didn’t see it for his head had sunk even lower. Noctis patted his upper back encouragingly, but it had no effect on him.

“One question, Ignis: what makes you so certain that if the woman is eeked by the rumors of our Noct being gay - or bi or whatever - that she’s not the one?” Gladio continued talking, going for the steaming hot pot Ignis had just finished.

“Well, Shiva’s riddle did say that the journey will be harder for the prince than for the partner, so I’d say that rules out anyone who would resist the idea of marrying Noctis; for whatever reason. The riddle gives me impression that the partner would want to marry Noctis whilst our Prince here will have the problems with it, or something similar,” Ignis replied, his voice sure.

“That’s a good point,” Noctis nodded, rising up and stretching his legs. “I’m still bothered by the fact that the message implies - like you said - that I won’t love the person I’m supposed to marry immediately, but that I’d need to learn to love her. Or fight for our love or both of these options, like Luna suggested.”

“That’s something I’ve been thinking, too, but I’d say there’s no need to fret about it now. Whatever it is, we deal with it when the time comes. Now, come eat both of you. You too, Prompto,” Ignis said.

“I’m not hungry,” Prompto said weakly, not looking at anyone in the room as he stood up. “I’ll be out for a while. Can you save some of that for later?”

Everyone’s eyes got concerned for Prompto, but Ignis kept his posture calm.

“Sure. The food will be warm when you’ve got your appetite back.”

“Just make sure you don’t wander too far this late,” Gladio advised, his mouth full of steaming mushrooms.

Prompto hummed with a nod, and headed for the trailer door with his hands in his pockets. When the door closed behind him, Noctis felt how his heart dropped down to his stomach.

“God dammit,” he cursed, raking through his hair frantically with his fingers. He leaned against his elbow and dug into Ignis’s cooking with a miffed pout.

“He’s taken the rumors surprisingly seriously...” Gladio muttered, but didn’t sound too concerned.

“I think this must be the first time Prompto has faced rumors and paparazzi that are trying to black Lucis’s reputation or hunt any news of the prince in his journey in any way possible.  To be honest, I’d feel guilty in his shoes too,” Ignis said.

Noctis’s face darkened.

“But there’s no reason for Prompto to feel guilty. I’m not mad with him. Do you think he thinks I’m mad?” he looked up at Ignis, hoping for an answer.

“Perhaps. Prompto seems to be the kind of guy who keeps lot of things within. Quite similar to some other person I know,” Ignis replied, giving a knowing look to Noctis. “Maybe a mind like the other would help him?”

“Let’s not be too hasty. We better give the man some space when he requests it,” Gladio stopped Noctis from going after Prompto like Ignis had suggested. Noctis agreed with him.

“Yeah. I’ll talk with him later... After I’ve eaten,” he said, wondering if he should eat fast or slowly.

Eventually Noctis decided to eat with his normal pace - and avoid the long, thin mushrooms he never remembered the name of, but couldn’t forget that he absolutely loathed their taste and texture - and after he finished the meal, he thanked Ignis for the food and headed out. The air had gotten slightly chilly and after pondering which way Prompto might have gone he decided to try his luck with the nearby Haven. If he was out at this time of evening, when the looming darkness was almost completely over the trailer, he would have headed to the Haven if he wanted a safe place away from people for thinking. Heading to the camp spot’s direction it didn’t take long for Noctis to see Prompto: He was sitting on the edge of Haven, hands in his lap, his head angled towards the peaceful empty grassland stretching before him.  The faint blue light reflecting from the Haven made it easy for Noctis to spot him and also notice how his posture was still slumped.

Prompto didn’t see or sense Noctis until he was right next to him. Noctis expected Prompto to jolt, but he only looked a bit surprised. Noctis didn’t like it - Prompto had always been jumpy and if he didn’t react to sudden surprises dramatically, Noctis knew it was a sign of very heavily troubled mind of Prompto.

“Hiya,” he greeted Prompto casually, putting on a relaxed face.

“Hi,” Prompto replied rather quietly.

Noctis walked up to the camp spot and jumped to sit next to Prompto. The early night was peaceful and the nature around them was quiet. Only the soft crackling from the camp’s mysteriously lit fireplace and random calls of night birds filled the fresh air.

“You know, it’s pretty dangerous to come out here alone, so far from the trailer and all. What about daemons?” Noctis asked, hoping the mentioning of daemons would spark some reaction from Prompto. It didn’t.

“I’m okay,” Prompto replied, completely ignoring the fact that daemons could be nearby. It made Noctis frown, as it wasn’t a good sign if the thought of a possible daemon encounter didn’t scare Prompto. Before Noctis could speak, Prompto had opened his mouth:

“I’m sorry, Noct,” he  whispered sadly, swinging his legs over the edge of the Haven. “I never knew I’d cause so much trouble for you... If I knew, I’d have stayed away from you during the party. I knew it was an important party but I should have thought more about it. That it was a... you know... fancy royal thing... I don’t know how to behave in those and look where it got you.”

“It’s not your fault,” Noctis replied sharply; maybe a bit too forcefully. Prompto’s head was still bent down and he smiled weakly.

“I’m sure nothing like that would have happened with Ignis or Gladio there... I’m sorry I’m such a walking disaster, bringing bad luck to you as well,” he sniffed.

Noctis could tell he was really fighting back that dark pit which tried to suck him in. He understood Prompto. He had been there, too.  Noctis was sure Prompto was playing - again - the same audio of him being useless to Noctis in his head.

“Those shit magazines will scramble their so-called news from anything, so don’t sweat it,” Noctis replied casually, feeling unsure of what he should say to Prompto. What words would soothe him the best? How come he didn’t know that?

Prompto pressed his lips together very tightly.

“You saw what happened today with that woman we went to see for the marriage. She basically threw us out of the manor at the front door.  She was so mean to you that I---” he began, but Noctis cut him off immediately.

“Which was a clear sign that it’s not her. Ignis agrees with that; you heard him,” he waved his hand in the air.

Prompto stared Noctis suspiciously for a long time, but didn’t argue back. Noctis turned to look at Prompto when his staring started to bother him. He leaned back against his arms and grinned playfully.

“What?” he asked.

“...I know the rumors bother you, Noct. You were so pissed off,” Prompto whispered, averting his eyes downwards.

“... I’m not allowing some rumors to affect my journey. Sure, I was pissed, but it’s better to just let it go now,” Noctis finally said after a small moment of thinking. He was, indeed, still bothered by the news, but it was nothing he couldn’t handle. “To be honest, what bothers me is that you’re so bothered by them. Seriously, no harm done. We know the truth, yeah?”

A flash of a smile ran across Prompto’s lips, but his posture remained the same; beaten and sullen. Noctis was starting to feel awkward, as he had never been any good at comforting anyone really. Somehow the feeling arrived even faster with Prompto, and Noctis thought he might be feeling responsible for him. Not only because he was in the middle of the rumor storm with Prompto, but because Prompto was his best friend, who had basically volunteered to go on the Divine Mission with him. 

“Come on, Prompto. We’re all good. Or is something else bothering you?” Noctis spoke when Prompto didn’t reply.

“...I just feel like a major failure. Maybe I should have stayed home and not come along...”

“Don’t say that! It’d be super boring without you. Besides, you saved my hide; you were the one who sniffed out the truth of Mel and helped the damsel in distress. And you took care of me at the party too,” Noctis reminded him.

Prompto hummed, but he wasn’t convinced. It was crystal clear to Noctis that his words weren’t reaching him because Prompto’s expression and posture stayed the same as they were when he had arrived here. Noctis was getting even more troubled. Maybe he should have left Prompto alone for a longer time? Or completely, waiting for him to come back on his own? Should he have said something else instead of what he had just said - which was the truth - whether Prompto believed it or not? Looking at Prompto’s sulky face Noctis felt how the helplessness was starting to get the best of him. He couldn’t tell, or show, that to Prompto though. He would only start to feel worse and that wasn’t Noctis intention.

A quick thought, an idea, flashed across Noctis mind: It could work. Perhaps it would work. Maybe he could soothe Prompto after all. It was worth trying at least. He was willing to try almost anything to keep Prompto safe and happy.

Thus, Noctis went for Prompto’s mouth without any warning, without any hesitation, kissing him both with determination and care, his hands taking hold of Prompto’s face. It sounded like a cliche; something Noctis would have laughed to if someone had told him that he would someday honestly believe that kisses were soothing, but after kissing Prompto twice already, it seemed like the natural thing to do. If words weren’t helpful, maybe action would be.

Prompto was, understandingly, surprised by Noctis’s sudden move, the way in which Noctis had jumped on him without any warning. Prompto’s glove covered hands shot up with wide eyes in surprise and a muffled yelp disappeared into Noctis’s mouth as soon as Noctis captured his. Noctis didn’t pay attention to it, though. He wanted to let Prompto know that no matter what he thought, there seriously was no harm done. That he would be there for Prompto to have his back when he was down or sad, no matter what was troubling Prompto. That’s what the bond between friends was for: to have support and give support when needed.

He kissed Prompto more tenderly, opening his mouth slowly to let Prompto know it was okay. That he didn’t have any hidden agendas, no meaning to cross any borders with Prompto. He would stop as soon as Prompto wished it. He only wished Prompto would feel better, to get that sunny smile back on his lips instead of the sniffling and dark gaze he had now. Prompto did relax and closed his eyes, softly replying to Noctis’s kiss. Shyly at first, like this kiss would somehow be different from the previous ones, and Noctis hummed to him quietly, encouragingly, whilst tilting his head to kiss Prompto deeper. He accepted Noctis’s move openly, kissing him back with parted lips. It made Noctis’s heart flutter with joy, as for a second he had been afraid he had made the wrong move and had felt he should have soothed Prompto in some other way.

In his joy, Noctis kissed Prompto even deeper, his chest burning and cheeks flushing on their own. Prompto’s mouth was as warm and calming as Noctis had remembered. While the rumors didn’t bother him as much as they bothered Prompto, Prompto’s lips on his relaxed Noctis oddly, in some strange way that he didn’t even want to try to resist. It felt nice to kiss and be kissed back. It felt nice to sense how Prompto was relaxing, his body melting slowly underneath Noctis’s touch; melting so much Noctis was able lay Prompto down on the cool stone, his lips never leaving Prompto’s warm mouth; those warm lips so wonderful Noctis couldn’t stop himself from kissing, kissing, kissing, kissing Prompto with utter devotion. He would pour his everything into this to make sure Prompto truly understood that what he was worried about was completely meaningless to Noctis. That those rumors were just shit talk, that Prompto hadn’t done anything wrong and whatever the crap journalists were writing about Noctis, in the end it wouldn’t matter. As long as the stories couldn’t hurt Prompto, Noctis would be alright. He would protect Prompto, like a true king.  

In his devotion, that silent promise burning in his stomach, Noctis slipped the tip of his tongue into Prompto’s mouth, surprised when he didn’t resist it but replied back with a weak groan. It was a sound which Noctis had never heard come from Prompto before. He decided he liked that sound. It was almost kinky for Noctis to admit he liked how Prompto sounded when he was being kissed. It was like the Cape Caem’s kiss once again, but this time Noctis wasn’t so shy anymore. He felt an odd throbbing in his heart when Prompto’s tongue touched his back.

Right now, Noctis wanted nothing more than to let this moment continue for as long as possible. Oh, how much did he like kissing! How could he have ever thought it was just meaningless saliva exchange, something utterly overrated. His hands had dropped from Prompto’s face down to his chest and side, Prompto’s body feeling warm through the dark fabric of his shirt against Noctis’s chilled fingers. His hands touched Prompto widely.

He wanted to touch Prompto more. Feel his warmth. Kiss him deeper and stronger, tell him with his hungry lips that he would devour all of Prompto’s problems; swallow them whole while he would protect him in his arms, shielding him from everything he could ever be afraid or worried of. He would be a good king, a good ruler of Lucis, and protect his loved ones. Protect Ignis and Gladio. Protect Iris. Protect Prompto and kiss his trembling lips until Prompto couldn’t utter anything but happy words.

Noctis was determined about all of it. The resolution burned like lit up gasoline in him, transmitting and pulsing out via his mouth.

“Noct,” Prompto whimpered his name weakly and Noctis felt an urge to kiss him only deeper, to press his body more tightly against Prompto’s chest. Noctis clutched softly on Promptos’ shirt, his fingers curling slowly into the fabric.

“Hmm,” Noctis hummed back from his throat, not really caring what Prompto wanted to say. He would argue back about the rumors anyway if he stopped kissing now.

“N--Noctis!” Prompto gasped, louder this time, pushing Noctis away from his flushed face.

“Wh--what?” Noctis stuttered, looking down at Prompto half way underneath him with a worried look. His mouth lingered just one kiss away from Prompto’s parted lips, Prompto’s breath softly ragged.

“--That’s enough,” Prompto hissed with a tiny smile, his expression apologetic. His cheeks were so red Noctis could see it easily, even in the dim Haven’s light.

Noctis flushed immediately all the way up to his ears. He realized he had made a mistake.

“I--I--I---I didn’t mean...! I thought that perhaps the kiss would soothe you, like it soothed me,” he lifted his head higher and blabbered hastily, stammering with his words. The warm feeling in his chest got replaced by a sense of shame in a second.

“It’s okay,” Prompto smiled, his hands still against Noctis’s shoulders. “It did help. It’s just... that was... a bit too intense...”

Noctis had been sure he couldn’t feel any more awkward,  but after Prompto had uttered those words, Noctis wished that the Haven’s rock would split open and swallow him completely. Quickly he scrambled to sit up, his head turned towards the empty grassland. He was blushing furiously.

“Sorry about that. You can hit me if I did something wrong,” he said hastily while trying to act all cool and not bothered. Mentally he was screaming and scolding himself for acting so recklessly.

Prompto also sat up and chuckled warmly, sitting next to Noctis, pulling his knees up to his chin.

“It’s okay,” he repeated, his cheeks still red from the kiss. His blue eyes were shimmering softly. “I feel a lot better already.”

“....So it wasn’t a useless idea to kiss you?” Noctis offered unsure, earning another chuckle from Prompto.

“Not at all. It did work.”

Noctis could tell something was still off with Prompto, but as he had already tried his luck a bit too far with Prompto he let that inner feeling slide away. Instead, he grinned back timidly.

“Good to know. You eyes look brighter, too.”

Prompto chuckled, his eyes closing with a warm smile.

“Thanks, Noct. You sure know how to take my mind away to other thoughts,” he smiled awkwardly.  “I hope no one saw us. It wouldn’t do any good for the rumors.”

“Only the half-moon did and I don’t think the journalists are going to get anything out from her,” Noctis pointed at the sky, earning a laugh from Prompto. He leaned forward on his knees.

“Right.”

“So, how about that dinner now? I know Ignis and Gladio were worried about you too,” Noctis smiled at Prompto, but to his surprise Prompto’s got wide eyed. He hugged his knees tighter, looking forward into the distance.

“If it’s okay, I’d like to be here a little longer,” he said, his legs coming even closer to his body.

“Mind if I sit with you?” Noctis asked, unsure of what was going on.

Prompto turned to look at Noctis, the corner of his mouth curving upwards in an apologetic way.

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to be alone. Don’t worry, it’s nothing serious. I think my face is still a bit red so...” he replied.

Noctis had nothing against Prompto’s wish - especially when he was to blame for that - so he rose up with a nod, turning to look at the sitting Prompto one last time.

“I’ll tell Ignis to get your food ready.”

“Thanks. I’ll be there in a minute,” Prompto thanked Noctis, watching how he jumped down from the Haven’s edge and started to walk towards the trailer park; the street light over it clear in the distance. It wasn’t that far away, which Prompto was glad about, as he didn’t want to encounter any daemons on his way back.

It was, however, too close to give him enough time to kill the boner Noctis had given him.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember the special birthday treat for all of you; a nsfw Promptis oneshot called "A Spoiled Prince": archiveofourown.org/works/10415091


	13. Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Noctis faces more challenges.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have gotten lovely fanart for The Loveless Prince! I've been so happy about these. Please, check them out and never hesitate to become creative based on this fic. All fanarts, fanfics, headcanons ect. are appreciated and encouraged :3c
> 
> \- http://cadenzaofshame.tumblr.com/post/158000055223/for-niuniente-and-their-amazing-fic-i (Poor snotty Noctis!)  
> \- http://mituni14.tumblr.com/post/157997688929/i-freaking-love-the-loveless-prince-its-well (Many scenes here, so lovely!)  
> \- https://princeofnewrecepeh.tumblr.com/post/158004149921/prince-noctis-being-all-akward-at-a-party-he (Crystal Day Noctis in a suit ah!)  
> \- https://princeofnewrecepeh.tumblr.com/post/158208339291/another-scribble-out-of-niunientes-fic-loveless (Some Crystal Day Promptis aah!)
> 
> While this chapter is sort of short, the next one will be a longer one. I'm currently at chapter 18 myself but a new update arrives whenever my proofreader Scorpiselli gets it done. 
> 
> I must say about the future chapters, that I have had plans for them (as I had for the already published chapters, too) and HONESTLY, 95% of the time characters mess up with my ideas and plans and decide write the story as they see the best. It's very handy and sometimes also difficult because I need to adjust my plans and re-read chapters to see if these new events will fit in haha :D 
> 
> Please enjoy the chapter and let me know your thoughts about it again. Thank you tremendously for your support! <3  
> And this is NSFW chapter, mind you!

Noctis sat in front of yet another fine lady, someone who matched Shiva’s description - but to be honest, his heart really wasn’t in it. The longer it became from the time he had received the message, the stronger Noctis started to doubt that he could pinpoint the right woman; especially if he wasn’t going to like her in the first place. In that context, Prompto’s original kissing method wouldn’t work either as like Prompto had said himself, it would only work if Noctis felt something for the woman but was unsure of his own feelings. On top of all that, Lunafreya had called him a week after the Crystal Day event and told him that she suspected - as typical for the Divine Mission - that Noctis would need to battle with himself the most. That it was what she got from Shiva’s answer, but apologizing couldn’t help Noctis out any more than that, unless he was willing to use his last question. It hadn’t helped Noctis’s feelings at all and since then the dark circles around his eyes had started to appear more frequently. Ignis had actually went forth and bought him some concealer to hide the darkness for the official meetings.

Noctis would never have believed how demanding this trip would be. How hard would finding one person be? He had sort of expected women to line up before him - and some of them had sent love letters for him to the palace, expressing their interests in being the next queen; but so far the investigation team of Lucis hadn’t found anything interesting in them. Actually, the last time Noctis heard from them they were burning 90% of the letters.

It also drained Noctis that he had to be so careful and discreet when in public, in big places, to avoid adding any more fuel to the rumors spreading regarding his sexual orientation. Ignis hadn’t said anything directly, but he had let Noctis understand between the lines that the king was worried for Noctis and pondered how the rumors would affect him on his journey. The palace did come in with aid and made a public announcement that the prince was doing his best with the mission and people should show him their support. Noctis knew it was his father’s way of supporting him with his mission but he didn’t want to burden his father more. He already had his hands full with keeping the wall around Insomnia up.

Noctis wasn’t worried about himself when it came to rumors; he worried mostly for Prompto. Prompto seemed to avoid him in public the first few weeks after the rumors surfacing, but after that he was told by Ignis that he shouldn’t worry and he should just act normally around Noctis. Otherwise the paparazzis could get the impression that there really was something to hide between Noctis and Prompto. Prompto had followed Ignis’s wisdom and opened up more to Noctis and Noctis was happy about it. He had missed Prompto’s jokes, presence and time with him in the empty weeks when he has been scared to cause more scenes. It still bugged him that because of him Prompto had been caught up in something that wasn’t his worry in the first place.

The kiss between them in the Haven crept into Noctis’s mind when he watched the woman before him talking in a lively manner; her red colored lips moving fast with the words. To be honest, Noctis was still feeling some sort of guilt for treating Prompto with such intense devotion back then, so intensively that it had scared Prompto somehow. He pondered whether part of Prompto’s earlier avoidance was actually caused by that scene, but he never dared to ask if it was so.

On top of the guilt, something else also bugged Noctis. The strange sensation, which he couldn’t pinpoint, had started just recently and it bothered him the worst at nights, when he tried to sleep. He did sleep, no problem with that, but the sleep was somehow heavy, not refreshing or vitalizing. The oddness in his stomach was somehow dark, kind of menacing. Something strange he had never felt before. So far, he hadn’t talked about it with anyone - and what could he have even said, he didn’t even know himself what that odd feeling was about - but Noctis reasoned if it was still bothering him after his 21st birthday, he’d talk about it with Ignis. There were still a few months to his birthday and Noctis assured himself that the odd feeling would either disappear or be resolved by then. Right now Noctis suspected that the stress was indeed trying to get the best of him. Perhaps he should ask Ignis to buy some sleeping pills...

The meeting with the talkative woman was so unfruitful that it was actually Ignis who canceled it, reasoning that the palace would let her know if she was the one and that the prince needed to attend another important event - a lie there, but Noctis was happy for Ignis’s keen eyes. When they got back to the car, Noctis throwing himself on the back seat, Ignis looked at him from the shotgun seat carefully.

“Is something the matter, Noct?” he asked, eyes narrowing. Prompto had also turned to look Noctis from the driver’s seat, his face worried.

“You’ve looked like shit for a few days now,” Gladio growled crossing his arms.

“Just tired. Can’t sleep that well,” Noctis replied, not wanting to go any deeper with the matter.

“We’ve been camping quite a lot lately to avoid the media’s eye...” Prompto offered, his eyes turning slowly to Gladio, who pursed his lips but didn’t argue back with Prompto’s notion.

“I guess sleeping in a proper bed could do some good after a while,” Gladio gave in.

“May I suggest Galdin Quay, as it’s rather nearby plus the tourist season is fully over now? There’s little traffic to Altissa at this time, not to mention other travelers who usually stop at Galdin or come to see the white beaches are gone now,” Ignis said.

“Anything is fine with me as long as it’s a bed and not a sleeping bag,” Noctis sighed, his eyes closing already.

“Prompto, please head the Regalia towards Galdin Quay,” Ignis pointed the direction of where the white beaches where.

“Aye, Aye, Captain!” Prompto ignited the engine and steered the car towards the direction where Ignis’s finger was still pointing.

“Mind if I take a nap, too?” Gladio asked, noticing how Noctis was leaning against the window looking exhausted.

“By all means, go ahead,” Ignis replied.

“Don’t worry, Gladdy! I’m a good driver,” Prompto grinned.

“Hey, only Iris can call me that,” Gladio noted sourly at Prompto’s choice of a nickname.

The car drive went past quickly, almost too quickly if one asked Noctis. By the time Prompto parked the car at their destination, Noctis had to admit he had missed half of the trip. Somehow, he couldn’t remember it. He was sure now that he was way more tired than he had thought. He asked Ignis to do all the needed reservation gimmicks and went straight to bed when the hotel room door opened, hoping to catch an eyeful of sleep. He was woken up by Gladio a few hours later, the man asking what Noctis wanted to eat as he was going to place their order. Croaking, Noctis got up and muttered that he liked fries.

“I think you need something healthier looking at your face. Like apples or something,” Gladio’s eyebrows cocked, his expression tight. “Ignis, you’ve got those vitamin rich herbal drop candies?”

“No, for God’s sake, no!” Noctis yelled, eyes opening fully. “Not the Priestess’s Drops! I’ll go and take a shower. It should wake me up. And just bring the fries, okay?”

“I’ll shower after you,” Prompto informed Noctis from the other bed, lolling on his back and playing The King’s Knights.

Grumpily Gladio picked up the room service phone for the order, a white memo on his hand. Noctis walked pass him with a loud yawn and headed to the bathroom, locking the door behind him.

After a very long time, he was finally alone. It felt good to be alone in a quiet space.

Noticing just now how his shoulders were aching from the muscle tension when he took his jacket and shirt off, pondering if Ignis carried any muscle relaxant ointment with him. It had been ages since they had had a fight with any monsters and Noctis could feel his body getting stiff from the lack of exercise. He wondered if he should join Gladio for a morning jog, at least once a weak - even when it meant waking up early. When he stepped under the shower and the hot water hit his aching body, Noctis realized it had also been ages since he could have a bath in peace. The last few weeks had been rough with excessive camping and nothing but quick showers here and there so that he’d look presentable enough for the high-class figures. He couldn’t remember how many dry shampoo bottles and wet wipe packages they had disposed of with the gang.

Water cascading down his naked torso felt good and the warmness seeped through his skin all the way into his bones. Noctis let out a deep groan like breath, letting his shoulders drop, stepping deeper into the shower, water flattening his hair. He enjoyed the feeling of the water with closed eyes, standing underneath the shower like a cat basking in direct sunlight.

He was indeed finally alone. In his own privacy. In a bathroom, with the calming sound of water surrounding him. He could stay here as long as he wanted to. The food wouldn’t be ready any time soon and Prompto wasn’t in so much of a hurry with his shower turn now that his attention was drawn fully into the game. Ignis and Gladio would - as his servants - wait for their turns peacefully. If the prince wanted to take a one hour long shower, then he would take it and Gladio or Ignis couldn’t do anything about it. And right now, Noctis had made up his mind to stay in the shower for a good while and enjoy himself. Truly enjoy himself. The mental image of his favorite idol in the whole world, the singer Lira with her pink, blossoming lips and beautiful curves danced slowly into Noctis’s mind.

He had liked her music and looks since he had been twelve and the older he had become, the more Noctis had understood that his liking for her wasn’t only fanboying her - it was also a part of the primal desire’s fault; a desire she woken in him whenever she performed. Noctis had never told anyone just how much she tickled his fancy, though he suspected Prompto probably had some idea of it. Noctis’s hand placed on his flat stomach widely, his palm pressing demandingly on his wet skin, slowly traveling down towards his hips. How old had he actually been when he had had his first dirty dream of Lira and woken up with wet boxers in the middle of the night? Thirteen? Fourteen? Something like that.

She gave him a boner so easily. Made him hard with a wink of her eye in Noctis’s mind. So easily after weeks without any release, after an eternity with male company only. She was the best mental image to fap to.

As his hand reached his half-erect dick, Noctis hissed at himself, pleased: Yes, this would be the best stress release. A good old wank in the shower, with the warm water running down his back and bare ass kind of turning him on even more. After this he would eat well and definitely sleep well, without that heavy sinking feeling surrounding him in his slumber.

He had fantasized many times about pounding Lira’s sweet, round behind in the shower, thinking that if he truly wanted to do that, he might even have chances for that. Some things did turn to your favor easier when you were a prince. But it was only a thought. Frankly he had no idea or experience of sex with anyone other than himself, and he liked more about the thought of the sex play than going after it actively. When he was alone, pumping himself with the rhythm which felt the best, he could do anything in his mind without worrying about anything. He could wank while thinking about pounding Lira or thinking about getting sucked by that cute background dancer she had - Vola, if he remembered her name right - or thinking about touching them both himself freely, their pretty faces twisted with pleasure. Noctis’s lips parted and he dropped his head down with a soft moan. Yes. This is what he had missed. A proper lone man’s wank.

A smirk ran across Noctis’s face. Poor Prompto. He had no idea he would take a shower in the same stall where he had pleasured himself. Orgasmed on that wall before him, his sperm mixing with the cascading water. Hah, poor Prompto. He’d probably say ‘Gross!’ or something similar. Taking a better hold around himself Noctis grinned more widely: Or perhaps Prompto would also jerk off here. Noctis bet he did that, the same way as he did, when no one would hear or see him. After all, he was a healthy young man like Noctis. Of course he had natural urges and needs. Aching balls and nasty restlessness if there had been too long since the last release. Would be awkward to wake up in a tent with wet boxers, so a good wank was needed occasionally. There was enough hardship in trying to hide morning wood in the tent, not to mention the boxers.

Noctis really liked the lone man wanks the best in the shower. He was sure all men liked that; even Prompto.

Prompto. Hah! Poor Prompto! He had no idea what Noctis was doing in the stall where he would arrive after him. It was kind of sexy. A secret little dirty thing to do; like a prank which was never revealed to anyone. Noctis’s cheeks flushed to an even deeper red. Yeah. He was sure Prompto was just waiting for his turn to get to play with himself underneath this same shower. Would he also like how the water ran over his lithe body, like Noctis? Would he stand tall, head dropped backwards like he did; or was he the bender, leaning with his arm against the wall while jerking himself, his legs slightly apart for better balance? Did the like the long strokes or fast ones? Did he roll his fingers and palms around and over the tip of his erection, like Noctis did? What would he be fantasizing about while doing himself? Some of his favorite idols, like Noctis? Or some other special girl? Noctis was sure whatever it was, Prompto would look hot while jerking himself off; his lips would be apart, his freckled cheeks flushed. His hand would speed up as he came closer and closer to climax. Yes. He would be pretty, Noctis was sure about it.

He let his groan come out louder this time, brows knitting upwards with a pleasured expression. Ah yes. He hissed when the thought of Prompto wanking himself underneath the cascading water, his blond hair completely flat against his scalp, framing his ecstatic face, popped into Noctis’s mind again. He had sounded so cute when they had kissed. How did he sound when he was close to coming? Was he a loud lover or a whimpering one? What touches did he like the best? Noctis tried to imagine if Prompto liked to touch himself same way as he did; his own free hand rising up to his nipple, caressing it softly and playfully. He was sure Prompto’s bare chest was amazing; he had toned up so much. He could see the line of his chest every time he stood sideways to Noctis, his muscles sleek and easy to see. A thought of whether his palm would find a soft touch of chest hair or not if he touched Prompto’s bare chest lingered in the back of Noctis’s head. He, himself, was almost hairless. What a weak performance. But Prompto would look good, with or without hair. He could see hair on his forearm, barely visible due his blond color. Noctis squeezed himself tighter, hand moving faster. Ah, he was bit of a jealous just how pretty Prompto was. He’d be gorgeous while wanking himself; Noctis was sure about it.

He gasped, feeling that his own release was coming close. It arrived faster than Noctis had anticipated, taking him utterly by surprise, his body being thrown back into the orgasm by the image of Prompto’s naked body bent over in the same shower, his hand pumping himself frantically with gasps coming out from his beautiful mouth, a mouth which seemed to fit Noctis’s so well.

Noctis rode with the release, enjoying the sensation of stress leaving his body, his sperm staining the tiles and being washed away by the shower’s warm water. It took a while to catch his breath after the pleasurable waves let go of him, lulling him softly back to the present; underneath the hotel shower, the warm water still caressing him like a lover. Noctis dropped his chin down and let out a deep exhale. That felt good. He really had needed that. He was sure he’d sleep so well this night.

A shocking realization hit Noctis in a matter of seconds, his eyes widening and all the blood escaping from his face.  
  
He had wanked himself to mental image of Prompto.

He had wanked himself to Prompto...!

Just what the hell he had done?!

All the blood rushed back into Noctis’s face and he blushed, blushed like never before, his hand rising up to cover his mouth. Oh shit! This was bad! He wasn’t supposed to wank to the image of his best friend - to a guy for Astral’s sake! Reaching for the shampoo with slightly shaky fingers Noctis spoke to himself calmly:

“Okay, Noct. That was weird, but weird things happen, especially when one is tired, stressed or under the heavy pressure of a Divine Mission,” he muttered, not really sure how he could convince himself to calm down. “You’re spending all your free time with three other men, so no wonder if they etch themselves into your subconscious. Nothing wrong with fantasizing about this or that, right? Right, Noct?” he asked from himself.

He shampooed his hair, feeling suddenly guilty for jerking off to the image of his best friend doing himself with whimpers and husky groans. He shouldn’t have done that. It felt wrong. So very, very wrong.

“Okay, Noct. That was weird, like I said, but there’s no harm in fantasizing, you know. I know you love girls but fantasies are just fantasies and Prompto’s pretty and can go for a girl so...” Noctis continued to talk to himself quietly, trying to soothe his freaked-out mind. He made his mind to find time for wanking more often so that things like these wouldn’t happen again.

Oh, The Astrals! How could he even look Prompto in the eye after this? It was embarrassing! Yet, like Ignis kept repeating, the king should do what king needed to do- and thus, Noctis washed himself, dried his body carefully to avoid catching cold, dressed up and took a final look at himself in the mirror. Good. His face looked normal. Nothing unusual going on there. Then, he stepped out from the bathroom and faced Prompto with a poker face, still blaming his stress and the excessive amount of time spent with just the guys only for what had happened. Sometimes libido had a mind of its own.

“What’s the forecast for tomorrow?” Gladio asked from Ignis, ignoring wet haired Noctis, who went for the plate assigned for him. The food had arrived faster than Noctis had expected. Prompto had already eaten and disappeared into the bathroom as soon as Noctis came out. He almost blushed for knowing what he had just done and how Prompto had no idea of it. He pushed down the mental image of Prompto going there to pleasure himself. Pushed it very, very deeply down.

“It’s going to rain the whole day,” Ignis replied.

“Should we stay here for one more day then?” Gladio muttered, rubbing his chin.

“I see no other point in that but avoiding camping in the rain. On the other hand, I have no specific plans for tomorrow. Since we haven’t yet figured out the meaning for the Shiva’s message, we’re pretty much as blind in continuing as we were before it,” Ignis sounded bothered. Noctis couldn’t blame him. He had been trying to solve the riddle the hardest of all of them.

“This mission is really starting to tick me off. No offense, Noct,” Gladio said and lifted his hands up.

“No offense,” Noctis mumbled back with a mouth full of noodles. Who would have guessed Gladio would order noodles? Noctis hadn’t gotten his fries and he was sullen about it.

“Noct has been tired lately, so should we take a break? The rumors have died down a bit, earning us a short time for a breather, but there’s always a chance for them to fire up again. Is that what keeps you awake, Noctis?” Ignis head turned to Noctis’s side while he placed his leg over his knee. 

Noctis stopped in the middle of sucking the noodles in, leaving them hanging half way out of his mouth. His blinked.

“Yeah, I guess?” he managed to say mouth full, earning an evil glare from Ignis.

“Your Highness, your table manners!” Ignis scolded Noctis.

“Taking a break will take our goal only further into the future,” Gladio’s voice was displeased, as much as his face was, too.

The memory of him talking with Prompto about how long this mission would take rose up in Noctis’s mind. He couldn’t help but ponder if Gladio becoming irritated was because he was tired with the mission. Because he wanted them to return home, return closer to his family, get back to his own environment. However, Noctis couldn’t make himself apologize for that. He remained silent with his noodle dish. Suddenly he had no appetite anymore.

 “Quite frankly, we have no idea how close or far we are from our goal,” Ignis sighed, looking again at Noctis, “Have you considered using the last question?”

 “To get more clarity for the message we got before? Yeah,” Noctis spoke and this time his mouth wasn’t full, “But I’d like to save the last question for an emergency and besides, we can’t be sure Shiva wouldn’t give us another riddle to solve the riddle.”

 “So, the Divine Missus’s answers can be anything,” Gladio summed up with a groan. His face was stern and bothered. “Great. We’re going in circles. It’s been almost a year since we left...Doesn’t feel like it, but it is so... And taking into account how much we’ve traveled, there really haven’t been any close calls, except Iris.”

 Noctis’s face darkened when Iris was mentioned, but he remained concentrated on his dish.

 “Speaking of a year’s time, we should probably arrange something for Noctis’s birthday,” Ignis suggested. “It would be a good change of pace.”

 “Ignis, we haven’t been working much at all lately. Just running away from the public and trying to guess randomly which woman we should drive Noct to next,” Gladio groaned throwing his hands up in the air.

 “I know that, and I do apologize. To be honest I believed that we would have solved the message by now, but it turned out to be a lot more challenging than I gave it credit for. It has many double meanings which rule each other out, making the whole thing confusing - and it’s long, which makes it even harder to solve,” Ignis said, his face unnaturally sulky.

 “It’s not your fault, Ignis. You’ve done more than enough with it,” Noctis put in between Ignis and Gladio. “Even Luna is having hard time with it.”

 “Or that she knows what it’s about but can’t tell us,” Gladio grunted.

 “That’s always a possibility,” Ignis agreed.

 “I’m not going to lie guys; this mission is getting on my nerves. I apologize for it, but I’m seriously slowly getting more and more irritated with it the longer it takes,” Gladio said. Noctis snorted.

 “Guess how I’m feeling then,” his lips were pouting. 

“Exactly and thus I would suggest we celebrate Noctis’s 21st birthday somehow. Even by stopping to have a cake somewhere. It’s not good idea to let the irritation, frustration or fear take the better of any of us,” Ignis said, returning swiftly back to the earlier topic. 

“Well, this place was supposed to make some special wedding cake for Luna and Noctis, so...” Gladio gestured around himself, getting a bright smile from Ignis. 

“Great idea. I’ll ask the chef to arrange us a table and prepare a cake for Noctis’s birthday. We’ll return here and stay the night in the hotel,” he said. 

Noctis’s eyes narrowed and he gave a long look to both of them. 

“You’re planning something related to me like I’m not here, again,” he complained bitterly. Ignis, however, wasn’t listening. He was already heading out of the room to make the reservation and place an order for the cake.

  

 --------------------------------------------

 

The night in the trailer, a few days after their stop at Galdin Quay, was a rough one for Noctis. He kept having a dream of someone with blonde hair running in complete darkness. He was watching the blurred figure as a side watcher, like an invisible ghost that the figure with blonde hair couldn’t see or sense. There was a woman speaking, her voice absolutely gorgeous, but Noctis couldn’t hear her words. No matter how hard he tried to listen, he couldn’t make a single word of it out. Also, no matter how much he squinted, the blurry figure didn’t become any sharper, and no amount of yelling, jumping or arm flailing could catch the figure’s attention. The figure was at first running, and then stopped, and when the figure stopped, the beautiful woman’s voice appeared. It was very simple scenery but it felt almost overpowering to Noctis. 

Strangely Noctis felt utterly helpless. Helpless and hollowly empty. He didn’t like this scene. It felt heavy, suffocating, strangling. He didn’t recognize the figure, didn’t recognize the woman’s voice, couldn’t tell where they all were - but he could tell how the darkness was a devastatingly sad thing for him - how it was somehow connected to him and that he loved that figure in the darkness so much it hurt his soul. 

He woke up with tears running freely down his cheeks. 

Night after night after night. The same dream, the same scene. Nothing else ever happened in the dream, except the figure running in the darkness, then stopping and after that the beautiful woman’s voice appearing. And Noctis never got the figure’s attention, never saw them properly, never heard the words which were spoken. 

He started to quickly connect the earlier bugging feeling to that dream, the odd sensation which tormented him while he was awake. When Ignis pestered him long enough about his constantly tired eyes, Noctis said a nightmare was bothering him, but didn’t go into detail with it. Ignis replied that it was just a stress dream and Noctis shouldn’t worry so much about it. 

After hearing Noctis was having a nightmare, which appeared multiple times a week, Prompto slept next to Noctis without any exception, always glued against his side or back. Noctis knew it was Prompto’s way of reassuring him that everything was alright and that he would shield Noctis from the bad dreams. The guy had never been too good with words, so Noctis silently appreciated his gentle actions. 

Oddly enough, sometimes the nightmare’s effect felt even worse when he woke up with teary eyes and Prompto was there. Especially if Prompto had been woken up by Noctis tossing and turning in his dreams, soothingly holding him after the frightful dream and talking to him with soft brotherly words. That hurt Noctis. He didn’t understand why, but he assumed it was Prompto’s soothing presence which took the better of him; just like it had done at the Crystal Party, in the bathroom where Prompto had hugged Noctis in the moment of his personal meltdown. That it was his own negative emotions which surfaced strongly, strangling him. 

That’s what Noctis told himself whilst clinging onto Prompto’s body after yet another nightmare, his head pressed against his shoulder, face hidden. He couldn’t let him see he was silently crying for a long time after waking up when Prompto was holding him softly with a worried expression. Noctis didn’t want to worry Prompto. The poor man’s heart was already fragile enough; it didn’t need any more burdens on Noctis’s part. He felt horribly guilty for bothering Prompto like this – and yet, he couldn’t let go of his warmth.

Noctis swallowed. If only his mother was here… Maybe mother would have known what was going on. Maybe mother would have answers for Noctis’s mission. He knew she had loved his father dearly. If only mother was here… Maybe then Noctis wouldn’t feel so helpless and weak, not so much of a failure. 

In the upcoming days Gladio and Ignis often found Noctis and Prompto sleeping together in a tightly curled ball. The worried look on Ignis’s face grew only darker the more often they found Noctis either clinging to Prompto like a child or Noctis waking up with dark circles around his eyes. Ignis was forced to carry a stick of concealer with him everywhere he went for Noctis so that the prince wouldn’t appear like a zombie in meetings. When asked again what was wrong, Noctis just kept repeating he was having a bad dream and it wasn’t anything important. No matter where they slept, it didn’t help Noctis to sleep any better. 

On top of that, a few days before Noctis’s 21st birthday, and a month after the nightmare had first appeared, Noctis started to fall asleep in places and times where he shouldn’t have.

 


	14. Fated Turns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Prompto mulls over his thoughts and Noctis gets tossed around by fate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is finally partly Prompto POV chapter, as promised! Whooping 18 pages for you to enjoy this time :3
> 
> Also, say hello to second proofreader Rynn, who will be helping me with this fic with Scorpiselli! Thank you for your help, Rynn!
> 
> Chapter 15 is proofread and I'll update it later, at least next week if not sooner. I try to adjust the update dates with already finished proofread chapters so that you'd constantly have a stream of updates without very long delays from my part.

Prompto was screwed. Utterly, totally, devastatingly screwed.

Today was one of the most important days of the year; Noctis’s birthday - and he had completely forgotten it. Utterly, totally, devastatingly forgotten it.

How that was even possible? He always got Noctis his birthday present long before the big day and now as they sat at the Galdin Quay’s restaurant’s private booth, wishing happy birthday to Noctis with the custom-made cake in the middle of the table, Prompto realized he had absolutely nothing to give Noctis. Nothing. Zero. Nada. Galdin Quay really didn’t even have anything he could get for Noctis. Some baits, yes, but Prompto had a feeling it wouldn’t do any good because Noctis already had all the baits the fishing booth sold here. Besides, Noctis hadn’t been much in the mood for fishing in a long time - which was alarming, but Prompto thought it was sort of a natural thing when you were under a heavy stress.

To Prompto’s dismay, Ignis pulled something out from his breast pocket.

“Happy birthday, Noct. Nothing fancy, but I’m sure it’s for your liking,” he smiled, earning a smile back from Noctis.

“Thanks. I’ll open it later,” he said, putting the long and narrow, neatly wrapped present on the table’s corner. His eyes were still tired, and everyone could tell that Noctis hadn’t slept well last night either.

“And this one’s from me,” Gladio said, pushing a not-so-neatly wrapped present under Noctis’s nose. Prompto could feel a cold sweat forming on his neck.

“Thanks, Gladio. I’ll open this up later, too,” Noctis said.

Oh crap! Prompto could already see how Noctis’s head was turning to him. He cleared his throat and smirked, trying to look as innocent and honest as possible.

“I forgot to take your present with me. You’ll get it later,” Prompto lied. His head was completely empty with no idea what to get Noctis.

“That’s fine,” Noctis smiled softly at him, his attention turning then to Ignis, who was telling why he had decided to request the kitchen to prepare just this specific type of a cake for Noctis. His talking gave Prompto time to think about his problem.

The best option would be sneakily drive somewhere to get something, but Prompto couldn’t just take Regalia and drive away like that. Where could he even go to get something for him? All the way to Lestallum? Hammerhead probably had nothing worthy of a prince in their selection and Prompto really didn’t want to give Noctis any meaningless crap.

He couldn’t kiss Noctis either. That would be lame. They had recently agreed that kisses were for soothing and calming down one another. What if he kissed Noctis and he would only start to remember those bad and stressful times when they had kissed? All that heavy stuff burdening him? The last thing Prompto wanted for Noctis to do on his birthday was to feel stressed or even think about the Divine Mission - and right now, when Noctis was already going through hard times, his face almost constantly pale and eyes dark, Prompto wanted to cheer him up with a proper present. But he didn’t have even tiniest clue what it could be.

Besides, kissing didn’t do any good for his own mental health…

In a sense, Prompto was in a tight spot; so tight he forgot to thank Noctis for the slice of cake he slid in front of Prompto. Stuttering a bit with his words Prompto managed to utter a short thank for Noctis. He didn’t even notice how the cake tasted like. He was just feverishly going through different present options in his head:

Did he have something stacked in his personal storage he could give to Noctis? Probably nothing bigger or more presentable than a chocolate bar.

Could he surprise Noctis with a new mobile game or was he too tired to play? He was sleeping majority of the days anyway...

Ignis had bought the cake so ordering something else to eat for Noctis would be unfair for the others and perhaps Noctis wouldn’t want to have two desserts in a one go.

Kissing was not an option either.

He did have a few gil in his pocket but royalty really didn’t need any money. He didn’t have enough money to renting a Chocobo and take Noctis for a ride. Perhaps he’d be too tired for that, too. What if Noctis got one of those odd sleeping seizures and fell off the Chocobo and hit his head on a rock?

Perhaps he should just admit out loud that he had forgotten Noctis’s birthday and get him something when they left Galdin Quay. Better late than never, right?

“Would you like some more, Prompto?”

“Eh?” Prompto lifted his head up to Ignis’s direction, coming back to this present moment. “Ah, no, thanks. This is enough,” he declined Ignis’s offer. He hadn’t even noticed he had finished his slice of cake.

“You were so quiet I thought you were enjoying the cake so much that you’d like to have more,” Ignis noted.

Prompto laughed, trying to sound natural.

“Better not with this stomach, you know,” he mentally grimaced at his lame lie.

  
\------------------------

 

Prompto’s heart was pounding ridiculously hard as he walked towards their hotel room’s door. The night had fallen over the calm sea and the quiet shore where Prompto had went for a thoughtful walk, and in its silence Prompto had finally came up with some sort of a present for Noctis. Or so he hoped. He had no idea if Noctis would like it, but it was pretty much the only present he could give him right now - and he was determined to give Noctis a good present. It would be shameful to skip your bestie’s birthday without one. In any other occasion, it would have been alright, but right now, when Noctis was overwhelmed with his mission and that recurring nightmare, Prompto simply couldn’t skip this day. He had picked through every inch of his brain and imagination today to come up with something he could present to Noctis and not feel bad about.

God, he really hoped Noctis would like the present he had finally figured out for him.

Prompto stopped right behind their room’s door, hearing how the rest of the group was talking about something on the other side of it, and took a deep inhale.

“Alright,” he whispered to himself and swung the door open, putting on his brightest smile.

“Noct!” he called Noctis happily. “I promised you your present later. Come with me.”

“Eh? Now? Where are we going? It’s almost midnight,” Noctis looked surprised but nevertheless stood up from his chair.

“Not far. Just come on!” Prompto assured Noctis and gestured him to follow. Noctis did as Prompto wished.

“What have you come up with?” he grinned to Prompto, who took a look over his shoulder to Noctis and smirked from ear to ear.

“Something special. You’ll like it!” he promised, inwardly absolutely scared to death that Noctis would hate his present.

He walked Noctis to the beach, all the way near to the tall rock walls which abruptly rose up from the white sand. They were far from Galdin’s restaurant, but its lights glimmered in the distance and danced faintly on the water. The whole world was quiet and empty, for the tourist season hadn’t started yet in Galdin nor Altissa. When they reached the spot Prompto had wanted to bring Noctis to, he stopped abruptly and turned to face him. Noctis was smiling from the corner of his mouth but his eyes were surprised.

“You know, there might be monsters here, especially when the beach is abandoned like this outside the busy season,” he reminded Prompto, who pushed his hands down to his jeans’ pockets and shrugged nonchalantly.

“Not this near the Haven and the water. No daemons. Trust me,” he assured. He couldn’t say he would have sensed them if they were nearby.

“So?” Noctis stretched his word and placed his hands on his hips. “If I heard you right, you’d had something for me.”

Prompto could feel his heart’s rate increasing again. He averted his eyes from Noctis’s face and opened his mouth slowly.

“Well, eh...” he started, looking at his boots, kicking the sand. “I remembered one thing. From the time when we came here when this mission had just started.”

“And?” Noctis cocked his head curiously, crossing his arms over his chest.

Prompto blushed slightly.

“Well, you know... We talked how romantic this place is at night time and how both of us could walk here hand in hand with someone... So eh... I thought that... if you wanted, I’d walk with you. As a birthday present. You know...” Prompto felt himself utterly nervous, all the way down to his trembling knees.

Noctis’s eyes widened and lips parted, but he didn’t say anything. Hastily Prompto composed himself, lifting his head up.

“I know it’s a lame present but... I thought my head through and out but it was the only thing I could come up with right now. I’m sorry I don’t have anything else to give you now. I sorta.... forgot...” he defended himself before Noctis could refuse his offer and make Prompto feel himself even more embarrassed.

Noctis chuckled, sounding amused.

“What about the rumors? I know palace dealt with the shit journalists in silence but they might still be after us,” he asked looking Prompto from underneath his eyebrows.

“That’s why I brought us here at night time. No one’s going to see us. Oh, and we don’t have to walk for long, you know. Only a few steps. We can go back to the hotel room without a walk, too. It’s your call.”

Noctis held his hand out for Prompto, a smile still lingering on his lips. Prompto was sure he would die in his spot - he honestly hadn’t expected Noctis to agree with his idea. He felt giddy that he could hold hands with Noctis. He was so happy about it he couldn’t suppress a surprised chuckle which arose from his throat. It wasn’t like they hadn’t been touching each other a lot already, sleeping tangled to each other almost every night due Noctis’s bad dreams, but holding hands was very special for Prompto. He accepted Noctis’s palm rather shyly, grinning stupidly.

“So, where are we heading?” Noctis asked when Prompto was standing next to him, his hand in Prompto’s hold.

“That a way,” Prompto pointed out toward the stone in front of them. “We don’t have to go further than that.”

“Anything you say,” Noctis nodded and took the first step, and Prompto had to remind himself that it was him who was supposed to walk Noctis on the beach, not the other way around. Thus, he jogged a bit, getting a slightly in front of Noctis as a sign that he was the leading man, and Noctis allowed this without argument.

Prompto was happy. So very happy. He was sure his heart would pop out from his chest at any moment now. Noctis hand was warm and he could feel that even through his own leather glove. It made Prompto’s cheeks heat up, his lips curving up to a smile. It was indeed romantic, to have a walk at the beach under the clear night sky; the soft waves gently washing over the shore line.

“This must be the strangest birthday present I have ever gotten,” Noctis pointed out, but while part of Prompto wanted to freak out, he could hear from Noctis’s voice that he was amused; not angry or disappointed.

“At least I didn’t get you any useless junk,” Prompto replied, taking a look at Noctis. “May I ask what did you get from Gladio and Ignis?”

“Gladio gave me the newest volume of Tampered and Ignis had found me a fancy bookmark.”

“No way, is the newest Tampered out already?!” Prompto gasped, stopping in his tracks. His brows furrowed. “Dude, you gotta let me read it, too.”

“After I have finished with it.”

“Did you read it at all yet?”

“Yeah, a bit. Apparently, Ellen is---”

“No, no, no! Don’t spoil me!” Prompto let go of Noctis’s hand and covered his ears with a loud voice.

“There’s a cute Mari bath scene,” Noctis continued, his look mischievous.

Prompto swallowed visibly.

“Re--Really? Mari’s the cutest,” he blabbered.

“I know.”

“Dude, you gotta let me read it quick!” Prompto basically demanded. Noctis only laughed at him and took a hold of Prompto’s hand.

“Nope. I’m going to take my sweet time with it,” he replied shortly, the evil glare lingering in his eyes. He gave a mischievous shake to Prompto’s hand. Prompto’s lips pouted and Noctis simply had to laugh out loud to that.

They continued their walk slowly, Prompto seething with anger. Noctis was so unfair at times. Such a tease. Prompto’s mind was quickly calmed though when Noctis squeezed his palm and gave him a shy smile with his eyes.

“Thanks, Prompto. I really needed fresh air,” he said, his voice honest and vulnerable.

Noctis’s words traveled down Prompto’s spine. He shivered, but kept his happy poker face on.

“Glad to help you, Noct. I told you I’d help you with anything, right?”

Noctis hummed with a nod, his head turning slowly forward, eyes looking far into the distance. He stopped, halting Prompto on his feet.

“Thanks. You’ve looked after me so much lately I feel guilty about it. I...I don’t want to burden you, you know,” he whispered, eyes forlorn and distant.

Prompto knew what he was talking about. He shook his head quickly.

“No problem, bro. I hope everything gets better soon,” he soothed Noctis up, getting a dry hum as a reply.

“Yeah... I needstop being so stressed all the time. Odd things have been happening,” Noctis agreed, his face somehow odd in Prompto’s opinion. Prompto could tell Noctis’s heart was heavy with something, possibly the dream and the mission overall. He had heard what the nightmare was about, but like Noctis, he had no idea what it meant and why it kept repeating itself. To be honest, Prompto had learned Noctis hadn’t shared the details of his dream with anyone else but him. He felt even more responsible for Noctis happiness.

“...Noct, let’s not go there. Not now,” Prompto urged Noctis to keep walking, leading the way gently. “No bad thoughts today. Or I’ll kiss you!” he dared, making Noctis laugh out loud.

Actually, he wanted that. To kiss Noctis. It had been ages since the last kiss. Noctis was a natural talent in kissing. Prompto couldn’t forget how Noctis’s heat had traveled down to his groin the last time they had kissed. He would be lying if he said he didn’t miss that sensation. If he didn’t miss Noctis’s lips on his, his warm breathing traveling over his moist lips in lingering moans - or how Noctis’s fingers clutched his shirt, making his groin burn with want.

He missed Noctis. From the bottom of his heart.

But he couldn’t say that. He simply couldn’t. Right now, Prompto was happy just to be able to spend time with Noctis and touch him when he needed comforting, as saddening as it was for Prompto to see him like that.

He would have never guessed he’d grow to like his best friend this much. So much that holding hands with him on the beach made his heart beat like a teenager in high school left alone with his crush. And it hurt Prompto. To know Noctis was so near and yet he would always be too far from his reach. By that time, he would find his wife, there wouldn’t be any more boys’ trips, boys’ cuddles or any other fooling around like there was now. Noctis would concentrate on his life and while Prompto was happy about it and really excited to see Noctis getting married, he just somehow knew a part of him would die on that day. It had started to whither already.

Prompto swallowed quietly. He had done it now. Hurt himself. Gone to the bad thoughts he had warned Noctis about. Hastily Prompto suffocated such thoughts from his mind, reminding himself that he was responsible for his own thoughts and feelings. That he was at his best as Noctis’s best friend. That was his royal role. He should be happy Noctis had agreed to even walk hand in hand with him like this - Prompto knew Noctis wasn’t into guys and he truly hoped Noctis wouldn’t see his deepest wishes reflecting out from his eyes. Wouldn’t see how much he yearned to kiss Noctis there, wrap his arms around his waist and whisper sweet nothings into his neck.

Wouldn’t see how Noctis’s name was getting to imprinted on his heart, deeper and deeper.

But he would stop that. Stop before it would go too far. He had no right for Noctis. Never was and never would be.

It wasn’t his role.

“Here we are,” Noctis said stopping in the front of the reddish-brown rock, which looked almost solid black in the night’s lack of light.

Prompto blinked. He had missed the walk completely, being too invested into his own thoughts. Yet, he smiled brightly, like he always did, and waved their joined hands.

“Yep. Happy Birthday, Noct!” he cheered Noctis. “So, what next? Care to sit with me here for a while?” he let go of Noctis hand, already missing the touch.

“Why not?” Noctis said, already half way in a sitting position on the sand. Prompto followed him and sat next to Noctis, both of their eyes directed at the sea.

“The world is so calm at night even though daemons come out,” Prompto spoke casually, secretly enjoying the closeness of Noctis.

“World sure is a strange place,” Noctis agreed. “What do you think the world of the Astrals is like?”

“Hard to say...” Prompto pursed his lips, his eyes shooting open suddenly. “...Listen, Noct! I just got an idea!” Prompto suddenly turned to Noctis, fumbling with his left-hand bracelet. He took it off and handled it to Noctis with a warm smile. “Here: You can have it. Sort of like a birthday present slash a reminder that I’ll always got your back, alright?”

Noctis stared at the offered leather bracelet, boggled, his eyes rising to look at Prompto.

“Are you sure you want to give that to me?” he asked.

Prompto hummed.

“Hundred percent! ... Come on, it’s just a bracelet. I can get plenty more of them if I want to.”

Prompto’s heart was filled with purest joy when Noctis took the bracelet with sincere thank you, and tugged it underneath his glove, on his left wrist.

“I’ll keep it here, just so the paparazzis won’t spot it and start to spread any more meaningless rumors,” Noctis explained.

Prompto’s eyes sparkled instantly.

“Like a secret between us?” he gasped dreamily.

“Yeah. We’ve got plenty of those already,” Noctis smiled awkwardly, looking so very cute in Prompto’s eyes. He could tell - with his keen photographer’s eye - that Noctis had matured a bit during the year; his jawline and nose both being a bit more angular now, but he still hadn’t lost the softness from his features.

He really wanted to kiss Noctis again. But he knew he shouldn’t. He cleared his throat.

“Noct, you know... That kissing offer is still valid, if it helps you to clear your head,” Prompto noticed saying that out loud, like there would have been another part of him talking, completely ignoring the fact he really shouldn’t be heating his inner flames toward Noctis any more than this.

It was already bad he thought of Noctis a way too often when jerking himself off.

God, Noctis would drown him in the Galdin Sea if he knew.

“Thanks, Prompto. I appreciate it. I’m good for now,” Noctis replied and it wasn’t what Prompto had hoped for in his dreams. Yet, he reasoned it was a good thing Noctis didn’t take his bait. He really, really should clear his head and not let his crush get any worse.

When had it even started? When had he noticed Noctis for the first time ‘like that’? Was it in the high school? Right after it? Was this the classic ‘friends to lovers’-story which was playing in Prompto’s head? He couldn’t really tell, but he could tell he yearned for Noctis’s attention more and more each day - and he hated himself for that. He shouldn’t do that. It wasn’t his job nor his right to want Noctis.

Not to mention he didn’t want to ruin their friendship. Didn’t want to risk any of it.

Prompto couldn’t even do that even if he wanted to, as the Astrals were against it. Noctis was on his journey to find his queen. Prompto was only the best friend. That was the role which was bestowed upon him. But, as Prompto reasoned - or was it hoped for? - that as long as he could be part of Noctis’s life, he would be happy. That would be enough for him. He’d learn to live with his destiny.

“Should I give you something in return?” Noctis broke the silence. Quickly Prompto shook his head from side to another.

“Nah, dude. It wouldn’t be a birthday present if you did,” he smirked.

“...You know, would you mind if we walked once more, back to the spot where we left? I’ve been sitting too much lately,” Noctis requested getting up and of course Prompto agreed with him, snickering.

“It’s your birthday. You decide, I follow.”

“Well then; More hand in hand combat? For birthday’s sake?” Noctis asked playfully, completely unaware how his suggestion made Prompto both to leap up to 7th Heaven and spiral down the deepest Hell. He let Noctis pull him on his feet and grinned at him softly.

“Sure,” Prompto said shortly, his hand burning where Noctis was touching him. He was both happy and sad at the same time. In the back of his mind Prompto pondered were crushes always like this; this tormenting and sweet?

“This place is super romantic at night time, isn’t it?” Noctis asked, making Prompto’s heart spill over with something warm.

He swallowed down a sob of disappointment that he couldn’t enjoy his time with Noctis like this, romantically at the Galdin beach, more than this once. Instead of the sob, he hummed softly, summoning up a smile.

“Yeah. Totally. Gladio’s missing some good hand in hand combat,” Prompto laughed, hoping it didn’t sound as hollow to Noctis as it sounded to his own ears.

At least he could, whenever it happened, hold Noctis close when he was battling with his nightmare. Soothe him and enjoy his warmness, his scent so beautiful in his arms.

Prompto felt guilty for enjoying that. He shouldn’t do that. He was the worst.

But he couldn’t help his heart.

\-----------------------------

  
“Is Noct alright?” Prompto had turned on his knees on the shotgun’s seat, his eyes worriedly over Noctis, who was sleeping in the backseat, his head on Gladio’s lap. His eyes were even darker than before and skin so pale he looked like a ghost.

“He’s been sleeping since last night. It’s almost 3pm,” Gladio grunted, his eyes as worried as Prompto’s. Noctis had been unable to get out from the bed properly this morning. Ignis had helped him to get dressed and Gladio had literally carried an unconscious Noctis to the Regalia from Galdin Quay’s hotel room. Noctis had slept through the whole ordeal, completely unaware of anything that went by around him.

“He was rather fine yesterday. Ate well and seemed to enjoy the small birthday party, too, ” Ignis muttered behind the wheel, “Let’s take him to doctor. They can run some tests to see if he’s lacking some vitamins or other important ingredients. Perhaps they describe him some sleeping pills so that he can sleep without seeing any dreams or waking up every night.”

“I agree. This started too suddenly and has been going on for too long that we better check it up,” Gladio said, brushing Noctis’s hair away from his face. “Should we inform the king?”

“Let’s not. That will cause unnecessary worry for him,” Ignis replied.

“We need to stop at Hammerhead to fill our stocks. Is that okay now?” Prompto asked unsure, biting his lower lip.

“It will be fine. I make an appointment from there for Noctis. There shouldn’t be any problem of getting an appointment for a royal Highness quickly,” Ignis said, turning Regalia’s head to a sandy short cut.

“What if there’s something seriously wrong with Noctis?” Prompto whimpered, his face scared.

“Let us hope it is nothing,” Ignis sighed, but couldn’t hide the fact he was also worried. “Prompto, can you call Luna for me? I’ve been suspecting the Gods might have something to do with Noctis’s condition, but it would soothe me to hear an opinion of an oracle.”

Prompto hummed, sitting down and fishing the phone from his pocket. He had gotten Luna’s number from Noctis, just in case if he’d needed it - and right now he did. He tried to keep his breathing steady while waiting for Lunafreya to pick the phone up.

“And please, tell her not to tell the king anything,” Ignis hissed, just before Prompto heard Luna’s voice from the other end.

“Miss Lunafreya, this is Prompto. I need to ask you something. It’s about Noctis,” Prompto said, his voice cracking slightly.

“Noctis? Is something wrong with him?” Luna asked, confused.

“Well... We don’t know. He’s started to have nightmares, I mean a nightmare. He’s constantly tired and sleeps a lot. We barely could get him up today. Gladio had to carry Noctis back to the car. We suspect this is something more than just stress,” Prompto explained, taking a look at Noctis sleeping on the back seat.

“Can I talk with him?” Luna asked, but Prompto shook his head.

“He’s sleeping. Ignis thought the Gods might have something to do with this... Somehow, you know? That’s why I’m calling you.”

Lunafreya fell into a silence on the other side of the line, humming thoughtfully.

“...Gods can give messages in people’s sleep, so it could be a message, that nightmare Noctis is having. Reoccurring dreams are always messages, even in normal people’s lives. Other possible option is that Noctis would somehow be opening up to more than one message or to a very powerful message and isn’t yet strong enough to handle it.”

“....Like an oracle?” Prompto asked, and Ignis’s and Gladio’s attention turned to him immediately.

“Yes. Some oracles are like that, but mind me, this is a wild guess only.”

“Do you get sleepy when you talk with the Astrals, Miss?” Prompto asked.

“No, not me. But there are sleeping oracles. Rather rare though. Just something that popped into my head and most likely it has nothing to do with Noctis. I wouldn’t worry about it too much.”

Prompto couldn’t agree with Luna’s words. She should have seen Noctis herself. Be woken to his nightmare and held him tightly when he was quietly crying in the aftermath of the nightmare in your lap - just to be exhausted the next day.

“He...Noctis also started to fell asleep on places. Like on his own. Not for a long time but for naps. Then the nightmares started to occur and now he does both; naps and has got nightmares and for a few days he’s been sleeping most of the time. He was good yesterday but....” Prompto explained hoping it would help Luna to tell them better what was matter with Noctis.

“He must be under a heavy stress,” Lunafreya simply said. It sounded somehow hollow to Prompto, but he let it pass.

“Yeah, he is. We’re taking him to a doctor to see if everything’s okay with his body,” Prompto told.

“Please, let me know what the doctor says. Maybe I can help you more then. Right now, I suspect that either he’s under too heavy stress and needs a vacation from the mission, or that he’s getting messages from Gods and can’t contain them yet and because of that he’s getting tired. His mind gets overworked with the messages. It’s nothing unheard that the Astrals guide the heir during their Divine Mission; some of the earlier Lucis’s rulers have gotten direct messages from the Gods. It’s likely it might be happening to Noctis, but please, let’s rule out everything else first. I’m sorry I can’t help you or Noctis more than that. I honestly am,” Lunafreya’s voice was sincere with the apology.

“We will. Oh and by the way, we thought it would be the best not to burden the king with this news until we have solved them,” Prompto said. Lunafreya had similar thoughts.

Prompto ended the phone call politely, passing Lunafreya’s words to Ignis and Gladio. Ignis’s fingers curled around the leather covered wheel tighter.

“As I expected; the Gods might have their hands on Noctis after all,” he hissed. “But we do as planned; first the doctor, then the rest. If doctor can’t find anything wrong with Noctis, let’s contact again Lunafreya to ask if she has any idea how to control the message flow so that we can get Noctis back to his feet. If that doesn’t help either, we have to figure out what’s wrong with Noctis - but let’s not go there just yet.”

“A Sleepy Prince is A No-Good Prince for a Queen Hunt if he can’t meet up with any women,” Gladio pointed out, his hand protectively over Noctis’s shoulder.

Prompto didn’t know what to say, so he just remained silent, eyes scanning the scenery running by. He couldn’t remember how many houses they had visited within the year. To accomplish the mission quickly, they had pretty much skipped all holiday celebrations on New Year, too - only rested, ate and slept well, wishing for better next year for everyone. Prompto did, however, remember how Noctis had looked disappointed on the New Year’s Eve that he was still single; guess he had sort of expected to find the woman within a few months with help of Ignis and Gladio.

Hammerhead’s billboard became visible in the distance and in a few minutes Ignis had parked Regalia in front of the gas tanks. Prompto took a look at Gladio.

“I’ll stay behind with Noct. You go ahead and get what we need with Ignis,” he said.

“If you fill the tank, then it’s fine by me,” Gladio replied, slowly getting out from the car. Ignis was dialing for a doctor.

“I’ll be back soon, too. Call us if something happens, alright?” he said to Prompto.

Prompto’s eyes narrowed quickly.

“I won’t let anything happen to Noct,” he said with a such determination it earned a compassionate smile from Ignis.

“That’s what I thought,” he simply replied before getting up from his seat and closing the door behind him.

Prompto filled Regalia’s tank as quickly as possible, his eyes never leaving sleeping Noctis. He laid completely still, like a corpse, and while his face was pale, Prompto was happy Noctis hadn’t had the nightmare - at least not yet. If they were lucky, Noctis would be able to refill his own tanks without that.

Ignis appeared back to the car after Prompto had sat back on the shotgun’s seat.

“The doctor will see us today,” he told Prompto.

“Will it be a problem with media if we’re seen at a hospital?” Prompto asked, again nibbling his lower lip.

“This is a private clinic, used by many celebrities and such, so we’re safe,” Ignis calmed Prompto down, taking the driver’s seat. He took a look at Noctis over his seat. “No changes here?”

“Nope. He’s still out cold.”

“At least he’s sleeping and not screaming or crying,” Ignis offered.

“Ignis... I’m worried. About Noct. This mission... It’s definitely not going as I thought it would,” Prompto whispered, rubbing his hands nervously.

“I agree with you there; this journey is definitely taking unexpected turns. On the other hand, I personally didn’t expect The Divine Mission to be an easy one; especially with such a vague target as Noctis’s. Don’t look sad, Prompto. Noct will soon be back on his feet for sure.”

“But this is still a sick mission...” Prompto wasn’t soothed that easily.

“We just have to see it through, sick or not. There’s too much at the stake,” Ignis said, and Prompto hummed back at him. He was aware of what would happen if they failed. He didn’t want to think about it.

“I’m sorry that I haven’t been able to help with Shiva’s riddle,” Prompto opened his mouth, sensing how the feelings insecurity and worthlessness were trying to rush over him.

“Don’t be. We’re all trying to figure it out, but I assume it’s something that needs time to open up. Something that reveals itself as we progress with this journey. Besides, you’ve been looking after Noct and that’s good. He needs comforting and I think that you’re the best out of us three for that, in my humble opinion.”

Ignis kinds words warmed Prompto’s chest. He couldn’t argue back with that. Even Prompto could tell that he was the best comforter for Noctis out of them.

“Do you really think Noctis is getting messages from the Astrals?” Prompto changed the subject, looking at sleeping Noctis between the front seats.

Ignis lifted his chin up and looked up at the sky, nodding at himself slightly.

“Possibly. I don’t know if you are aware but Noct’s mother had oracle-like tendencies. She wasn’t an oracle in a same sense as real oracles are, but she could hear and see things.”

Prompto’s jaw dropped.

“No way! Noct never told me!”

“I suspected so. He really doesn’t like to talk about his mother,” Ignis said, his eyes keen.

Prompto knew what he meant: Mother, who had passed on in a daemon ambush when Noctis was little, was a sore subject to Noctis. On the other hand, Prompto didn’t want to discuss about family things that eagerly either.

Gladio finally came back from shopping, with four full plastic bags, which he tossed into the trunk. He took a seat from back of Prompto, adjusting sleeping Noctis’s head back into his lap.

“We’re good to go?” Ignis asked from Gladio.

“Yeah. Did you reach the doc? What did he say?”

“She said that she’s going to meet us today, so we’ll head there next. It’s a private little clinic. Perfect for our needs.”

“You know, she could end up being the one,” Gladio grinned evilly, but at this point of their journey, they really had to think every possible option that would fit Shiva’s guidance.

After all, they were slowly running out of options.

  
\---------------------------

  
Noctis didn’t like needles. Simply didn’t. He kept his eyes closed tightly throughout the whole blood sample taking progress, hoping it to be over soon. Prompto was holding his hand; something he had done on his own without asking from Noctis and quite frankly, Noctis was both happy and embarrassed about it. At least Gladio kept his mouth shut and didn’t mock Noctis for needing his hand held.

“That’s the last tube,” the nurse, who had been assigned to take the blood sampled for the doctor, said to Noctis. “The results will come within a few days.”

“Thanks,” Noctis mumbled, wanting to rub the sore spot where the nurse had placed a plaster to stop the bleeding. He had woken up about an hour before they arrived to the clinic, just to hear Ignis had booked a doctor appointment – to which he wanted to argue it wasn’t necessary - and being waken up to meet face to face with a needle wasn’t counted as happy things to wake up to in Noctis’s books.

Noctis was happy to get out from the clinic into fresh air, away from the smell of disinfection. Ignis had placed his hand over Noctis’s shoulder and was pointing towards the nearby pharmacy.

“Let’s pick up the prescription medicine before we leave. How are you feeling, by the way?”

“Pretty alright,” Noctis replied with a shrug.

He let Ignis handle everything once again - as it was Ignis’s job in the first place - and absently followed him, Gladio and Prompto around. He felt sort of sleepy, but not so much as yesterday when he went to bed. Noctis had a feeling like he would have had a very long, very important conversation or meeting in his sleep, but he had absolutely no memory of anything. He was sure the feeling he had was there only because he had had some sort of a dream he couldn’t bring himself to remember.

Prompto was following Noctis like Umbra, his face troubled.

“Noct,” he whimpered, sneaking just next to Noctis’s ear, “We spoke with Lunafreaya when you were sleeping. If the tests don’t show anything wrong, it’s likely the Astrals are speaking to you and that’s why you’re so sleepy,” he muttered, looking even more troubled after telling his news to Noctis.

“Astrals? Speaking to me? Why?” Noctis was boggled.

“Some guidance thing or something,” Prompto shrugged. “Lunafreya suspected that if the Astrals are talking to you, you might not be yet ready to contain those messages and they tire you out.”

Noctis frowned, his eyes keenly on Prompto.

“Did she say what I should do about it?”

“No, but she said she’d help us out if the tests turned out to be negative.”

“So, we just wait?” Noctis stopped walking. Prompto stopped with him, nodding with a hum.

“What in Eos do the Astrals want from me?” Noctis hissed between his bared teeth, his fingers curling into fists, a flare appearing in his eyes.

Prompto quickly jumped in front of Noctis, his hand up in the air in a peaceful stop sign.

“I didn’t mean to trouble you with this!” he yelped helplessly. “I thought it could perhaps ease your mind if you had some idea what was going on.”

“Frankly I have no idea of what’s going on,” Noctis was irritated to his core. “No idea of this mission, of our next step, what should I do with the message I received and now this excessive sleeping; especially if it’s indeed caused by the Astrals. How much do they wish to torment me? For what reason?” he spat, hurt. “I’m starting to think again that this seriously is meant to be so that I can’t take the throne. That the Astrals are against me.”

Prompto’s brows twisted even higher upwards, his lips parting into a helpless cry.

“Noct, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean that! It can’t be that, I’m sure of it! I didn’t mean to trouble you!” he whimpered, earning finally Noctis’s attention. He relaxed a bit and pat Prompto’s hair brotherly.

“Don’t fret it. Thanks for telling me.”

“But I---”

“No buts, Prompto. It’s good.”

“Yo, you two. Are you coming or not?” Gladio’s voice echoed from the distance.

Noctis and Prompto sprinted to catch up with Ignis and Gladio, their conversation of possible Astral messages and Noctis’s sleeping dying down. Ignis did tell Noctis the same thing as Prompto had told him earlier about Lunafreya’s phone call, and Noctis’s face grew a bit heavier, his lips drawing tightly together as he sat in the hotel room. He quickly stood up, though, and excused himself for a while. Prompto looked like he wanted to run after him.

“Wait a little while,” Gladio advised the distressed looking Prompto, who fidgeted in his seat, ready to bounce after Noctis.

“Poor Noctis has got lots on his shoulder now,” Ignis said with a pity in his voice. He had fallen back into his notes and gotten information of the possible bride options, whirling his pen in his hand absently and writing down something every now and then.

“Astrals seem to be a bit unfair to him,” Gladio agreed, leaning back in his seat and crossing his arms. “We talked at the Crystal Party with Cor about Noct’s mission and even he admitted this was something unusual for Lucis’s heir. That’s a lot, if Cor agrees with you.”

“Mysterious are the ways of the Astrals,” Ignis only sighed, his head never rising up from his memos.

“I wonder how this mission falls into the theme of love?” Prompto pondered out loud, chewing his lip.

“To be honest, I have hard time seeing it myself, too,” Gladio grunted, displeased. “Such a vague mission for a barely old enough of a man. Like they’re setting him up to fail.”

“Now, now, the Astrals don’t work randomly. Everything has its meaning and all the Astrals do, say or assign, will fall into its rightful place, even when we mortals wouldn’t be able to see it just yet,” Ignis calmed down both of his friends. Then he took a look at Prompto over the edge of his glasses. “You can go now to Noct, if you wish.”

Prompto didn’t wait for a second offer. He was gone out from the room in a blink of an eye, rushing out with hasty steps, just to find Noctis standing near the road, looking at his phone. Softly and quietly Prompto made his way to him.

“You okay?” he asked, startling Noctis. He turned toward Prompto.

“Just had a word with Luna myself, too. About this sleepiness,” Noctis said, looking sort of ashamed. “Sorry. I had to hear it myself.”

“It’s okay. This is your journey,” Prompto said.

“I don’t understand what the Gods would try to tell me in my sleep, if me falling asleep on places and having hard time waking up is their doing? Am I doing so badly with this mission that they need to intervene? If so, why the nightmare happens? Is that a divine message, too?” Noctis hissed, his chin dropping down.

“Hard to say, bro. But if you ask me, I think you’re doing fine. Nothing but your best,” Prompto tried to cheer Noctis up.

“Prompto, what do you think about the nightmare? You’re the only one who knows what I keep dreaming about,” Noctis asked, his head turning to Prompto like begging for help.

“I think it’s a stress dream. We’re trying to find the blond damsel and are having hard time with it, and the longer it takes, the more you have time and chances to dwell on ‘what if’-thoughts,” Prompto replied in all honestly, crossing his arms over his chest and nodded, his eyes off to the distance. “To be honest, if I was you, I’d be freaked to death. No wonder you started to have nightmares.”

“So, you don’t think it’s Gods doing?” Noctis mumbled.

“Ah, well... This whole mission is Astrals’ doing so...” Prompto offered. “You know, I think it’s more likely you are having too much stress which turns into a bad dream rather than it being the Astrals tormenting you with creepy messages in your dreams. Honestly, what purpose would that serve?”

“Yeah... I guess you’re right. Gotta hope the pills the doc gave me will help me to sleep without having the dream,” Noctis said having a tiny smile on the corner of his lips. “Mind if I sleep next to you this night? Just in case the pills don’t work,” Noctis asked shyly, looking a bit awkward.

Prompto laughed heartily at Noctis’s expression.

“Of course, bro. We always sleep next to each other. Besides, I’ve promised you all and any help I can give. How many times I need to tell you that?” he grinned from ear to ear.

“Guys, come quick!”

Gladio had come out and was yelling at Noctis and Prompto from the hostel’s front door. His voice sounded urgent and Noctis and Prompto gave each other a questioning look before heading quickly to Gladio. He looked distressed and serious when they got to him.

“What is it?” Noctis asked, getting a low grunt back.

“Just get in. Ignis came up with something,” Gladio murmured, a deep frown running across his forehead.

Noctis’s eyes narrowed and he followed Gladio with a fast beating heart. Gladio wasn’t the one who got distressed easily, so whatever Ignis had come up with, it had to be seriously important. Or something unpleasant. Maybe he had learned something about Noctis’s condition? Perhaps the doctor had already called him back and told Noctis was severely ill? Noctis could feel his fingers trembling when they returned back to their room. Ignis was standing in the middle of the room, his head whipping to Noctis’s side as soon as he stepped in.

“Noct, take a seat. I’ve come up with something important. Something we have missed so far,” he said with a tight voice.

Noctis tried to act as calmly as possible.

“I’m all ears,” he said and took a seat. Gladio and Prompto followed his example, Ignis standing before them like a teacher. He had papers in his hand, which he waved in the air animatedly.

“I went through the leftover bride options, the ones available in Lucis, and pondered Shivas’s message at the same time. I noticed something important; the message talks about a woman with lithe frame, apparently pale skin and blond hair. It also speaks how the queen will be a disgrace next to the king and the people of Lucis - perhaps also Noct - will have hard time to accept her. The journey will be hard for Noctis, a lot harder than to his partner, and the Five will lead towards blooming love, but the love seems to really grow only in the darkness - or that Noctis will really see eye to eye with his love only in the darkness. We can’t either forget the part which talks about a distance, which will somehow help Noctis in the end.”

“That much we all knew already. So, what’s the big catch?” Noctis said, leaning against his thighs with his elbows.

“One name popped in my head and the longer I thought it, the more I felt it might be her. But you’re not going to like this,” Ignis said, placing his hands on his hips and taking a very, very deep inhale, closing his eyes. “Stella Nox Fleuret”.

Noctis paled. He knew who Stella Nox Fleuret was; Lunafreya’s cousin from her father’s side, the prominent figure in Niflheim and for its empire. She was basically treated like the daughter of the Emperor, and thus she had earned the extra nickname Princess of Niflheim. She wasn’t anything like Lunafreya was and understandingly the two of them had little to no contact to each other. While Lunafreya had been dispatched to Lucis’s side due her Oracle skills - something which wasn’t approved of in the science and technology based Niflheim - from what Noctis knew, Stella bloomed in Niflheim.

“You know what they say about her; that she will most likely follow the emperor to the throne and become the empress after him, as the emperor has no child of his own and she’s always been under his wing, ever since she was a toddler,” Gladio said to Ignis while gritting his teeth together.

“Yes. I’m very aware of that. But that’s one reason why she fits the message. Not only by her looks, but also by the fact the leads the Inwardly Dark Empire with the emperor - and with this pace on her own someday, like you just said. There’s darkness there. She’d be a horrible choice for Lucis to have as a queen next to Noctis when we think about it all, but for her it would be a very good deal. Lucis would suffer a lot more in this political marriage, while Niflheim and Stella would only gain more land and power. Easy journey for the queen, hard for the king,” Ignis kept explaining with tight lips. “Not to mention the distance Lucis and Niflheim have between them in the spirit.”

“...And she’s five years older than me...” Noctis muttered with a stony gaze. “And I don’t think I’d like her for what I know about her. I’d need to learn to love her if it was her.”

“A perfect lesson of love there,” Ignis said pointing Noctis with his papers, which he had rolled together into a tight roll.

“That can’t be right,” Gladio protested loudly, “Why the hell would the Astrals want to assign someone so dangerous to Lucis’s throne next to Noctis?”

“Maybe they’re tired of the two of us constantly fighting and bickering over each other? I’d think from a God’s point of a view our earthly arguments and political tug-of-wars must look utterly meaningless and pointless in a big picture of Life,” Ignis offered, but everyone could tell he was as lost with the possible reason as anyone else.

“How the hell do we even go on with that suggestion, Ignis? We can’t just waltz into Niflheim,” Noctis hissed angrily.

“We need to ask for an official audience, sent by the palace. I’m sure Niflheim is aware of your mission, and while they don’t have Divine Mission traditions as they are more science oriented, they do take Astrals somewhat seriously. It’s just the oracles they dislike, as an oracle can bring out the news from the Gods directly to people and the Nifs don’t like such bossing around. They like to be in the charge of things, not let the Astrals do that for them,” Ignis explained.

“And if they refuse?” Gladio asked.

“Then there’s nothing we can do, though I wouldn’t worry about that. I’m pretty certain they’d be interested in the possible marriage with Lucis’s Prince, as it would indeed do good for them. However, Stella herself is a woman of wit and strength. It’s completely possible we can get the audience but she declines the marriage offer. She does as she pleases. Very Niflheimian manners there,” Ignis said, his focus turning to Noctis. “Should I ask the palace to send the request for you?”

Noctis didn’t know what he could say. He only bit his lip, so hard he almost broke his skin.

“...Can I sleep on this and give you my answer tomorrow?” he asked with a shivering voice, his eyes angry.

“Absolutely.”

“So, we’d go to Nilfheim then?” Prompto was white as sheet, sitting in a rigid position.

“Yes,” Ignis replied.

“I don’t like it,” Prompto whined, earning a groan from Noctis.

“Me either. Not a bit,” he grunted, leaning back in his chair and lifting his palm over his lips. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, looking annoyed and worried.

“...I must say all that we know about Stella does fit the message from Shiva perfectly...” Gladio finally admitted, his face as serious as Noctis’s.

“That’s what I thought, too. It’s all there, both for the good and the bad,” Ignis said.

“I can’t wrap my head around to how could such marriage work,” Gladio said, getting a grunt out from Noctis, who silently agreed with his statement.

“While Shiva’s message is dark and straight out sinister if Stella turns out to be the one, there’s also a message of love there; the whole point of this trip is love, if I may remind you all of it - especially you, Noct,” Ignis said, his attention turning to sulking Noctis.

“Fated Forbidden Love,” Prompto sighed out, but sounded more amazed than dreamy this time.

“Seems like it,” Gladio nodded.

Noctis groaned loudly, getting up from the chair and tossing his arms up above his head.

“This doesn’t make any sense!” he fumed. “This is getting only more ridiculous. Me and Stella? The hell, that could never work.”

“How much do you know about her?” Ignis asked calmly. Noctis snorted.

“Enough.”

“The same thing as we do?” Ignis cocked his head. Noctis placed his hands on his hips and sighed.

“Yeah.”

“Which is only the bare minimum. None of us has ever met her in person. We have only the rumors and the political propaganda news and our knowledge of her is based on those. It wouldn’t be a surprise if she turned out to be a completely different kind of a woman. Niflheim does love propaganda,” Ignis spoke calmly, managing to calm down Noctis’s fuming.

“...Right,” Noctis sighed.

“Could we ask Luna something?” Gladio asked from Ignis.

“I’m afraid Lunafreya knows as much as we do, for they were separated when they were kids. Even if we called her and got some answers, those answers would be based on memories more than a decade ago. People change when they grow up,” Ignis replied.

The whole room fell into a silence after his words. None was speaking for a good while, until Noctis threw his head back with a long, long exhale.

“Just... Just let me sleep over this matter, like I asked, okay? I’ll know better in the morning what I want to do,” he requested once more.

“Of course,” was Ignis's reply.

That night, Noctis had hard time sleeping - but so did Prompto. They laid in the same bed, face to face with troubled expressions.

“Noct, do we really have to go to Niflheim?” Prompto whispered to Noctis, fumbling his fingers nervously.

“Believe me, I don’t like the idea either,” Noctis whispered back in the dark room, careful not to wake up Gladio or Ignis on the next bed.

“Nifs are scary and I heard there are lots of daemons there,” Prompto continued and his finger fumbling only got faster.

“I think we’ll be okay as a group,” Noctis tried, hoping that Prompto wouldn’t hear from his voice that he was afraid that the visitation - if Stella agreed upon their request - could turn out to be a very bad choice: He, the enemy prince, walking straight into their waiting hands.

“...Y--Yeah. Maybe they don’t want to start any war or something... Maybe the princess is actually a nice lady, like Luna, and won’t behead us,” Prompto replied with a shivering tone.

That’s what Noctis hoped, too.

 

 


	15. Stella Nox Fleuret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Noctis meets with enemy princess Stella.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry weekend! I decided to be generous and update chapter 15 already. Chapter 16 is under proofreading and might take some time, because I messed up with my written chapter numbering, and this caused extra trouble for Rynn - and almost a heart attack to me because I thought I had lost 2 chapters... Thank you Rynn for your help again and I apologize..!
> 
> I can't stress this enough; thank you for your comments! They really mean a lot to me because I spend 90% of time alone as I work remotely and I don't have much any Finnish friends but my friends are foreigners living around the globe. There are literally WEEKS when I don't see anyone. Getting to chat with all of you is very welcomed social activity to me <3
> 
> PLEASE CHECK OUT MY AO3 PROFILE FOR WHERE TO CATCH ME! I lurk in many places and I'm always open for chatting if you feel like catching me outside AO3, too.

Next morning - after Ignis’s suggestion that the enemy princess Stella could be the one - arrived, and Noctis hadn’t slept more than a few hours: not to mention that he still had no answer to give Ignis.  Noctis was the third one to wake up, after Ignis and Gladio. Prompto was still sleeping, buried almost completely under his duvet, snoring softly with the chocobo plushie he had won in Lestallum in his hold. Like Noctis, Prompto also had had problems with sleeping last night, his mind too concentrated on the fear of their possible trip to Niflheim. Noctis couldn’t say that he was excited for that visit either, but he had done his best to keep his face calm, all for Prompto’s sake.

Getting up to sit on his bed Noctis felt a need to apologize to Ignis for not having an answer, his heart feeling heavy after the apology. Ignis - fully dressed and neat already - just put a wooden chair in the middle of the room and gestured Noctis to sit.

“Your Highness,” he bowed at him and Noctis stood up from his bed, still in his boxers and a t-shirt. He sat on the chair a bit boggled, while Ignis pulled out a fancy black box from his personal items.

“What is this?” Noctis asked, confused.

“Just some grooming, Your Highness,” Ignis replied casually, a hair brush in his hand. “Your hair has gotten a bit too long and looks rather scruffy, if I may say so.”

Noctis took tufts of his bangs between his fingers, twirling it around and nodded. Yeah. His hair had grown a little too much. It had already been months since Iris had cut his hair the last time. Ignis threw a towel around Noctis’s neck. Quietly Noctis closed his eyes to give Ignis freedom to brush his hair into order from the messy bed head before starting to work around him with his scissors. Ignis took his time with the haircut, carefully measuring all strands and slowly bringing out Noctis’s original hairstyle. Gladio was reading, his nose glued to his book, and the only sounds in the hotel room were Ignis’s scissors and Prompto’s snoozing.

After getting Noctis’s hair trimmed and tamed, Ignis brushed Noctis’s bangs away from his face and hummed.

“Seems that Your Highness is finally starting to grow a proper beard,” he said with humor in his tone.

Noctis’s hand rose immediately up to his chin. He rubbed his thin morning stubble with a sour look.

“Still a long way to go,” Noctis could hear Gladio snorting out a comment to his miserable excuse of a stubble from the bed where he was reading. Noctis snorted back at him.

“I’ve got hair. Enough. In other places,” Noctis replied wittily, earning a scoff from Gladio.

“Too. Much. Information.”

Ignis had pulled out an old-fashioned razor from somewhere and was now adjusting Noctis’s head into a better position. Noctis’s neck tensed.

“No way, no, you’re not going to put that thing on my throat,” he hissed freaking out at the sight of the sharp blade on the nearby table. The knife looked seriously menacing from a close range.

Ignis only cocked his brow.

“Nothing better than a good old shaving from a barber,” Ignis defended himself, a big and soft shaving cream brush already spreading dense white foam over Noctis’s face despite his tensed posture, which screamed at Ignis to stop.

“I can do that myself,” Noctis tried once more, but Ignis didn’t listen.

“I’d keep my mouth closed if I was you - and sit very still,” he noted to Noctis, all to his dismay.  “Don’t worry, Noct. This will be over soon. Just relax and enjoy yourself,” Ignis soothed Noctis warmly, noticing his rigid posture didn’t soften at all.

Noctis had no other option to follow Ignis and as he unwillingly closed his eyes, he finally got it. He finally understood what was going on; Ignis was pampering him. Trying to get his mind off of their current troubles to something else. Offering him a little moment of relaxation, to have someone else looking after him, even just for little a while. That was how Ignis showed his support; by taking care of others. Cooking and looking after Noctis was his job anyway and Ignis did those chores daily basis, so a moment like this - a haircut and a shave - was his silent way of comforting Noctis.

Thus, Noctis stopped protesting. He let his body relax, completely, allowing Ignis do what he wanted to. He would feel guilty if he declined Ignis’s offer of comfort.

It actually felt nice, to be pampered a bit. It definitely beat the cold morning face washes and haphazard shaves at camp. It felt almost as good as Prompto’s kisses.

Noctis mentally slapped himself across his pretty face for thinking about Prompto again.

“How about you, Gladio?” Ignis asked, wiping Noctis’s smooth, shaven face with a warm, wet towel. Noctis was glad he could frown at his prior thought of kissing Prompto underneath the towel and no one would see any evidence of him mentally beating his own ass.

“I’m good,” Gladio replied, his eyes still nailed on the book in his hand.

“Prompto, are you awake?” Ignis asked, and the bundle on the bed stirred with a low, raspy hum.

“Hmmm, uh?” Prompto muttered, his face coming visible from the blanket burrito. He was completely cross-eyed, hair - what was visible from it underneath the burrito - sticking funnily out in every direction.

“Shall I cut your hair, too?” Ignis asked, not sure would Prompto actually register the question in his state.

“No, thanks,” he croaked and went back to sleep. Ignis was unsure if Prompto had really heard his question, so Ignis made up his mind to ask again later.

In the chair before him, Noctis had fallen asleep again. Ignis could tell from his face that Noctis wasn’t sleeping soundly. He twitched often, face scrunching into a pained expression every so often. Ignis’s face got darker. Usually Noctis only nodded off briefly or looked otherwise tired, but now he had fallen asleep suddenly, all too quietly.

Gladio also noticed Noctis sleeping; his lips pursed tightly together and his attention transferred to Noctis.

“Isn’t the doctor supposed to call us today?” Gladio asked, rising up from his bed to help Ignis to get Noctis on the bed next to Prompto. Ignis tugged Noctis under the duvet softly.

“Yes, around mid-day... I won’t lie; I am worried. I honestly pray this is just some medical condition that can be cured with proper medication and rest, even though the current medication hasn’t shown any effect to better. It would be unfair if the Gods were indeed tormenting Noctis like this,” he replied.

Gladio sat on the bed next to Noctis’s feet, looking at his sleeping face.

“What does your intuition say?” he turned his head to Ignis.

“That this is the doing of the God’s,” Ignis replied shortly, his face stern.

His answer drew a dark cloud over Gladio’s amber eyes. If Ignis’ intuition said something, as keen and precise was his sixth sense was, it usually turned out to be true.

“What do the Gods want from him...?” Gladio muttered out loud, his attention back to Noctis’ face.

“I’ve been wondering the same,” Ignis sighed with a tired voice. It was obvious he felt guilty for not being able to help Noctis with this.

On the other side of the bed, Prompto stirred once more, turning over to look sleepily at Ignis and Gladio.

“What’s going on?” he croaked, clearing his throat.

“The prince fell asleep again,” Gladio answered to Prompto, patting Noctis’s leg.

Prompto turned over the rest of the way, yawning.

“I’ve got this,” he said, throwing his arm lazily over Noctis’s side and pressed his head back into his pillow, falling asleep almost immediately after that.

Ignis looked thoughtfully at Prompto, his lips drawing into a tight line.

“I’m afraid something’s wrong with Prompto, too,” he admitted quietly to Gladio, who grunted in return, elbows leaning against his thighs.

“I’ve noticed it, too. I think he’s taking Noctis’s condition too seriously... He tries really hard to hide it, but it’s easy to catch him staring at Noctis worryingly every now and then,” Gladio agreed. “In Prompto’s defense I must say that I’m worried for Noct, too.”

Ignis hummed.

“It won’t do any good for either of them if Prompto is this distressed. He’s got a sensitive soul and he’s taken his role as the Royal Comforter very seriously. That can be a bad combination.”

“Royal Comforter?” Gladio asked boggled, but grinned when his head turned back to sleeping Noctis and Prompto. “Well, that’s definitely fitting. Looks like he’s got a royal role after all,” he snickered.

“Let’s just hope Prompto doesn’t get so absorbed in his duties that he ends up needing a comforter of his own,” Ignis sighed, finally moving away from the spot at the end of Noctis and Prompto’s shared bed. He went and started to gather the haircut and shaving equipment away. “Are you sure you don’t want a haircut or beard trimming?”

“...Well, if you insist,” Gladio gave in and stood up, taking the chair before Ignis. Ignis looked happy that Gladio had agreed with his suggestion at last.

A few more hours passed before Prompto woke up. Noctis was still sleeping, curled into a ball at the edge of the bed when Prompto got up; his blond hair still sticking messily out here and there. He yawned, scratching his stomach underneath his sleeping shirt.

“Is there any food?” he asked smacking his lips.

“Will cup noodles be enough?” Gladio asked.

“Yes,” Prompto replied, quickly noticing Noctis. “Huh? He’s still sleeping?” he peered to look at Noctis’s face.

“Let’s see how long it takes this time until he wakes up,” Gladio muttered, displeased, but his tone told everyone that he was just as worried as everyone else.

“At least he’s been sleeping peacefully,” Ignis noted over his magazine. His head rose up to Prompto; “So, would you like to have your hair trimmed? Maybe a morning shave, too? I know you’ve got a few strands there somewhere,” he joked, completely casual.

Prompto’s nose wrinkled and like Noctis, he also lifted his hand quickly to his chin, rubbing the barely visible morning stubble. He didn’t say anything, but his face was sour. Gladio laughed out loud at the sight. Prompto snorted at him, hurt.

“I’m fine. Just hungry,” he replied, still rubbing his chin to make sure he definitely did have some stubble there.

He headed straight into bathroom without saying anything.

Gladio snorted humorously when Prompto had disappeared from the room.

“Ignis, that was mean,” he chuckled.

Ignis only lifted his eyebrows up slowly, his attention turning back to his magazine.

“Just an offer,” he shortly explained, sounding completely innocent.

 

\---------------------------

 

Noctis was nervous, utterly nervous, all the way down to his core. They had proceeded with Divine Mission’s next part based on Ignis’s suggestion and send an official, yet private message to Niflheim stating that the Prince of Lucis was requesting an audience with Stella Nox Fleuret in her home kingdom of Niflheim. It had taken two days to get a response, and Stella had agreed to meet them –saying the sooner the better. Noctis didn’t know was she looking forward to the meeting to kick his ass or to laugh at his face when she’d heard the nature of his sudden visit. Ignis had found out that the Emperor himself was not in Niflheim at that time they would be there, which eased Noctis’s mind a little. Prompto, however, was pale as a ghost the whole trip there and when they finally arrived the palace’s front yard, Noctis was genuinely afraid Prompto would pass out.

Noctis stood up from the backseat, everyone one of them wearing the same outfits as at the Crystal Day party. Noctis was happy the media hadn’t sniffed out their destination yet, but he knew it was a matter of time before they would. Thus, he hoped to see this mission through quick and prayed that this wasn’t a miss; that Stella was the partner in question.

He still didn’t, however, know how to determine it for sure.

...He’d think about that later.

Getting to meet Stella was surprisingly easy. Noctis had anticipated a heavily armed committee at the palace, but beside the regular guards, no other safety measurements hadn’t been taken. Ignis whispered to Noctis that most likely they thought that Noctis with his gang was harmless; after all, they were in Nilfheim, far from home, and would have no chances again Niflheim’s army and Stella if she wanted to cast them out. In his mind Noctis wished Stella would listen to him without casting him out as soon as their eyes met. His palms were getting sweatier and sweatier when he tried to figure out the best way to tell Stella why he had requested this meeting. His father didn’t know about this and Noctis was worrying that what if it caused some issues in the future. Right now, he had to forget such thoughts and concentrate on Stella.

They were taken into one of the fancy palace rooms – guarded for the Princess’s sake – to meet Stella. She was waiting for them inside the room and as soon as Noctis and his entourage entered the room, they bowed deeply to her. She curtsied back at them in her white dress, very similar to Luna’s Oracle garment.

“Welcome, Noctis Lucis Caelum, the Prince of Lucis. I’m both surprised and honored to greet such a rare guest,” Stella greeted them, gesturing Noctis and his friends to rise up.

“The pleasure is all mine. Thank you for showing Your hospitality to us, Your Highness,” Noctis greeted Stella back according to all the formalities.

Lifting up his head he could finally take a proper look at Stella. He had imagined her to be very stern and cold, but before him stood a fair, beautiful woman, with long golden locks. Her face was soft and eyes bright and Noctis could see that she was indeed related to Lunafreya. Her slim frame was full of charisma as she stood in front of Noctis with her hands crossed in front of her.

“I take that the reason for this sudden visit is a grave one, Your Highness,” Stella stated with a calm tone. “I hope the news They are bringing are good.”

“I hope so, too, for I must say I’m not sure about them yet,” Noctis circled the matter, mentally screaming for Ignis to help him out – but Ignis was quiet, seemingly sensing that this wasn’t his place to be talking to; that Stella was not at his level and it was Noctis job to address a woman equal to his status.

“Oh?” Stella’s eyebrow arched curiously. “May I ask what the news are about?”

“It’s eh…” Noctis stammered a bit, “It’s about my Divine Mission. I suspect Your Imperial Highness is aware of it.”

Stella’s eyes widened slightly.

“Yes. I’m aware that Your Royal Highness is going through the Lucian ritual required from every crown heir. Yet, it does surprise me that Their mission brings Them here,” she replied.

“I was hoping for Your graceful assistance with the mission, if I may put it shortly,” Noctis bowed down once more and Ignis, Gladio and Prompto silently followed his gesture, their heads bending down in unison behind Noctis.

Stella looked at the group in amazement, her lips parted.

“The Crown Prince of Lucis from Insomnia is seeking for my assistance? I must say this is a surprise…” she stated, sounding sort of taken aback by Noctis’s comment.

Noctis kept his head bowed down and his hand over his heart.

“I must say this is also a surprise for me, but the Astrals have spoken and guided me here, Your Highness. I wish, that if possible, I could speak with You in privacy, for the news I bring is delicate and meant for Your Highness’s ears only.”

Stella kept looking at the Noctis’s group in a silence and the longer the silence continued, the harder Noctis’s heart started to beat. He wished the sweat on his forehead wouldn’t gather together into visible droplets.

“…Very well. I will speak with Your Royal Highness in private: No weapons or firearms or magicks,” Stella finally said, lifting a boulder from Noctis’s shoulders.

“As you wish, Princess of Nilfheim,” Noctis nodded in his bow, daring to straighten his back.

They left their weapons and magicks behind into the room and Stella led Noctis into next room. It was a small room with little decoration, possibly meant for an afternoon tea; a tradition which was strong in Nilfheim. That much Noctis knew about Nilfheim’s culture.

“So, the Astrals have guided Your Highness here,” Stella started their private meeting, her face still curious.

“Yes. As the future king of Lucis, I am foremost the servant of Astrals. That is my role,” Noctis replied. Surprisingly he received warm laugher from Stella, which was something Noctis hadn’t seen coming.

“We all have our roles to fill, yes?” she gave him a smile with her question.

“I suppose so,” Noctis answered with a bit unsure voice. He was still boggled about her soft and warm laugher. Her face had gotten a lot more radiant and her eyes sparkled playfully.

“Just like Lunafreya, I’m also living up to the role bestowed upon me,” she stated, crossing her arms and placing her finger on her chin softly. “I never asked to be or become the heir of Niflheim’s empire’s throne. Never asked to be unofficially adopted by the Emperor. This is exactly the same with Lunafreya, who never asked to become an oracle in such a young age. My assumption is that Your Highness wasn’t asking nor pleading for Their position, either: Not for a role of King or for the role of Astrals’ servant. Yet, some things are beyond us. Thus, I understand fully why Your Highness would arrive here on a command of Astrals.”

Noctis stared at Stella, his eyes stern and narrow. He bit his lip. She was almost too straight-forward with everything, which made Noctis feel uneasy.

“While Niflheim is advanced in technology and we don’t truly put that much value on the Astrals, we’re still – in the end – the same as everyone else. Merely pawns of Fate, which has been given to us by the Gods and Goddesses, without our consent. Now, while I believe it’s possible to fight in a certain extent for your own fate and mold it, there are some things which can’t be fought or negotiate with the higher powers,” Stella said, her eyes oddly forlorn. “I believe that Your Royal Highness agrees with me?”

Noctis heart was racing inside his chest. He was trying to look for the right words for Stella. He hadn’t expected the princess to be a woman, who spoke her mind so boldly. Noctis opened his mouth slowly.

“We’re on the same page, Your Imperial Highness; I guess we really can’t choose our roles, not when we’re born into certain blood lines,” Noctis replied, still unsure of how he should speak with Stella.

Stella chuckled warmly with a laughter which reminded Noctis of Luna. She walked closer to Noctis, her eyes keenly upon him.

“So, I must ask Them, the Prince of Lucis; why have the Astrals guided Them here on Their Divine Mission? For how does Your Highness think I could assist Them with it?” Stella stopped in front of Noctis, her head tilted to side. Noctis thought she actually looked rather cute with her head cocked like that.

“I… I have been given a mission to seek out my fated partner,” Noctis started, his heart starting to stammer inside his chest rapidly. His palms were getting sweaty once more. “I have inquired of my personal Astral for details of this mission, including further details of the Fated One meant for me. After careful pondering, I have come into a conclusion that it’s possible the Astrals have blessed me with a wife that is no other than Her Imperial Highness, Nox Fleuret of Nilfheim.”

There. He said it. Blurted it out perhaps a bit too frankly but at least he didn’t stammer or swallow any of his words. If Stella was talking boldly with him, maybe he could be frank as well.

Stella’s eyes widened and her pink lips parted. Noctis hoped he wouldn’t pass out from the anxiety, which was shaking his body inside and out while he waited for Stella’s answer. He tried to stand still and not let the inner trembling become visible.

He had done it now – there was no turning back.

After the initial surprise, Stella’s head threw backwards and she let out the most joyful, brilliant laughter, her shoulders jumping up and down with it. She let her head straighten but kept laughing warmly, her palm over her mouth now. Her cheeks were sort of red and Noctis could feel he had blushed up to his ears due anxiety and nervousness.

“Oh my!” she breathed out, “That is… not what I was expecting, if I may put it frankly, Your Highness,” she noted politely. Her eyes landed on Noctis with a most warm manner. “That was rather boldly announced, Prince of Lucis. I admire Their courage.”

“Th—Thank you,” Noctis bowed down awkwardly, keeping his posture. “I hope this isn’t too much of news for Her Highness, Princess of Nilflheim. For my defense, I must say I’m merely following the given guidance, the given description of my future Queen blessed to me by the Astrals, and Your Highness does fit the description. However, I can’t guarantee that I’d be Their wedded husband, for the mission is truly over only when my personal Astral agrees with my choice. I must present the right woman for her,” Noctis explained in a hope that it would ease up his awkwardness and not make his reason for this visitation sound too stupid. That it would tone down the initial shock.

“There’s really no escape of the will of Astrals, not even in Niflheim, though we love to pretend it. Our hands are tied,” Stella agreed, amused, and her hand reached tenderly down to Noctis’s chin, lifting his head up to meet her radiant face. “One question interests me greatly. If I may, Prince of Lucis on a journey from Gods and Goddesses; what do They seek in Their partner?” she asked curiously, her hand remaining under Noctis’s chin.

“What do I seek?” Noctis repeated Stella’s questions boggled, his face blushed from her touch. Her hand was warm and so small. It was hard to imagine these delicate hands were called the Iron Fists of the Empire.

Stella looked at Noctis playfully, retreating her hand. She crossed her arms over her chest and inspected Noctis as he straightened his back.

“Well, I suspect Your Highness has some preferences or wishes for the Divine Partner – or are They just following Gods and Goddesses blindly?” she inquired with a tiny smirk, taking Noctis aback.

“I… I haven’t thought about that,” he admitted out loud with parted lips, his face surprised. He really hadn’t even stopped to think about that. Should he have had? “I mean that I’ve… I’ve taken it as that there’s an assigned partner out there for me and I don’t need to think about her; just to find her and then fall in love with her.”

“Oh?” Stella’s eyebrows rose up. She swayed her body from side to side. “Does that mean that Your Highness thinks that They will not love the assigned partner but They have to see effort in it? Is that the reason why They have arrived to see me?”

Noctis could feel a cold sweat seeping onto his back of the neck. Shit! He couldn’t admit that to Stella and take a risk of consequences. Noctis cleared his throat.

“I’m still young and inexperienced in love, so whoever the Queen next to me might be, I’m certain there’s much for me to learn from them,” Noctis started, mentally crossing his fingers hoping that the answer would satisfy Stella’s curiosity.

“Ah, indeed. Your Royal Highness is still very young. 20 wasn’t it?”

“21.”

“I’m slowly but surely nearing my thirties while Your Highness is still in Their prime age of youth. Are They sure They’d marry an older woman like me?” Stella’s eyes were sparkling again with laughter. Noctis started to get a sensation that maybe he was being mocked and Stella wasn’t really going to take this situation seriously. Was he right about that, Noctis couldn’t say, but the notion didn’t ease his mind a bit.

“This tea room is much too cold for this kind of an important meeting,” Stella suddenly said before Noctis could answer, looking their surrounding with a sour look. “If I may, please, let us withdraw to palace’s roof top gardens. Just the two of us. Now that I know the nature of Their sudden request for this meeting, I think a softer, more beautiful environment would suit it the best.”

Noctis was slightly unsure if he should take Stella’s offer – after all, she was his enemy and he was on her territory – and Stella saw through his façade. She brushed her hair elegantly behind her ear, her white moon shaped earring jingling with the movement.

“Your Highness may decline the offer and ponder it, if this is too sudden for Them,” Stella said. Noctis quickly composed himself, buffing his chest.

“It would be rude from me to decline Your Imperial Highness’s offer. And, Your Highness, please, if I may; just call me Noctis. That’s how everyone calls me and if we’re meant to wed, I’d like Your Highness to treat me as Her possible husband; not as a political figure nor as an enemy. No formalities,” Noctis managed to say, wishing that maybe dropping off formalities would make him get rid of the huge anxiety inside his chest.

Stella’s expression melted into a beautiful light and Noctis was honestly taken back how pretty she was. Her pink lips curved into a dancing, bright laughter.

“Very well,” she replied, relaxing, and took a direct look at Noctis’s eyes, “But only if Your Highness will also address me as Stella, and treat me as His possible wife; not as a political figure nor as an enemy. We’ll drop down the unnecessary formalities.”

Noctis agreed.

Stella’s expressions brightened and she let out a soft giggle, something Noctis hadn’t expected to hear coming from the rumored Iron Fist Princess of Niflheim. The information Ignis had given him about Stella didn’t match what Noctis saw before him as he followed her polite guidance towards the elevator, but Noctis mentally noted himself that Ignis had suspected Stella might be different person than the propaganda media let anyone knew. What did surprise Noctis the most that Stella seemingly wasn’t interested in keeping up with those propaganda lies, but quite opposite. She acted relaxed, natural and friendly. She guided him to the elevator with soft steps.

“I must say this offer of yours does interest me, but I’m not fully convinced. For that I must apologize. My relationship with Astrals is… quite complicated, if you know what I mean,” Stella spoke during the elevator’s trip up to the roof.

Noctis paled a bit, but stayed composed nevertheless.

“I wasn’t expecting any answer immediately,” Noctis replied.

When they reached the roof top, Stella walked them towards the gorgeous garden, which looked like taken straight from the Astrals’ divine realm. Her pace was calm and steps soft as she walked slightly in front of Noctis, and looking at her back and the slightly flowing hair Noctis really couldn’t picture her as a horrible woman. She seemed to sense his stare on her as she turned half way around towards Noctis, smiling.

“Niflheim might not greet you with open arms but I, however, am pleased to have some company. I can’t remember the last time a man dared to come to greet me. This is honestly a pleasure. I hope you’ll enjoy the scenery,” she said and Noctis couldn’t tell was she talking about the garden or herself. He did his best not to blush.

“The lilies are gorgeous,” he noted gesturing at the white and pink flowers at the close distance.

Stella’s head turned to them.

“Ah yes. My favorites. I’ve grown them myself. Reminds me of my childhood with Lunafreya. At times, I miss her but how the Fate has played our positions, it’s wiser not to contact her,” she spoke with a slightly sad tone. “I know she is close to the Lucis’s King due your belief system and religion, and when the time arrives, she will also aid you. It’s kind of heart-warming to think that maybe, after all, we could still meet with her and be around each other in the same manner we used to.”

“It’s a possibility,” Noctis agreed, feeling pity and sense of warmness towards Stella.

Stella shrugged her slim shoulders casually, her eyes closing with a smile.

“I’m kind of jealous of you for getting to see Lunafreya so often. Please tell me; how is she?”

Noctis came closer to Stella with a few steps.

“She’s fine. Working hard and being a great aid for my father. I look forward working with her,” he replied in all honesty.

Stella inspected Noctis’s face, her smile still lingering on her eyes, until she turned to walk further into the gardens, urging Noctis to follow her. She let them near a small artificial pond with a tiny waterfall. There she gestured Noctis to sit next to her on a white marble bench.

“Are you looking forward to your marriage?” she asked looking at Noctis.

“Y-Yes,” he stuttered for a second, but Stella didn’t seem to mind about that.

“Tell me again; why is it that you seek my hand for a marriage?” she leaned closer to Noctis.

Noctis straightened his back, and a small sigh escaped from his lips.

“Is like stated in our request for this meeting; Shiva was given me a description of my partner and after searching high and low all around Lucis, we understood that the description matched perfectly you. Thus, we suspect that this is the right direction,” Noctis said, feeling that he was repeating himself.

“Right direction for you, for me or for both of us?” Stella’s voice was mischievous.

“For both of us, I hope.”

“So, to put it very frankly you’re here because of the will of the Goddess. I must say I feel both honored and insulted to know that,” Stella suddenly said. Noctis’s body tensed at her harsh choice of words.

“If I have insulted you in any way, I must apologize.” he quickly said, scared that things were heading in the wrong direction. Stella, however, hummed softly.

“No… I put it in a wrong way…” she muttered, her chin lowering and eyes casting down slightly, “I’m honored that you are honestly considering a marriage between us, for I do know very clearly how it would impact Lucis. In a that sense, I’m very, very honored. You must be a man with a strong will, determination and devotion. Such great characteristics for any leader – and a husband,” she said, lifting then her chin up. Her eyes were strangely sad. “Yet, I’m a bit afraid that you wouldn’t love me, for you haven’t arrived here because your heart would ache for me but because someone else asked you to come and court me.”

Noctis felt a sting of guilt inside his chest. Indeed; it hadn’t even crossed his mind how his partner would feel about this everything. Naively Noctis had believed that the woman who was meant for me would be happy to marry him – that what Shiva’s message was implying, too – but Stella’s words and her slightly downward curved posture made Noctis realize that it wouldn’t be that easy for the woman, either. This wasn’t any field trip and he wasn’t asking just something small from her. It was about her future, too, as much as it was about his. He was asking her to devote her life for him.

Noctis cleared his throat.

“I’m willing to open my heart for love,” Noctis licked his lips, hoping that he sounded convincing. “I must say this… this is not an easy mission for me, either. I care too much. That’s what Lunafreya said.”

Stella’s sad eyes immediately turned to something lighter, her head turning to Noctis. She lifted her palm to cover her chuckling lips.

“She said that?” she asked curiously, her voice pleased, “You must not be only strong-willed, determined and devoted, but also very honest and sweet.”

Strangely enough Noctis’s heart did skip a small beat at Stella’s compliment. He blushed slightly, trying to act all royal despite the hotness on his cheekbones.

“Noctis, tell me; what characteristics you wish from your wife? It’s starting to dawn upon me how you are, but what are your wishes? If the Astrals weren’t dictating anything, what you’d choose?” Stella asked and somehow, she had slid closer to Noctis without him noticing it. He had never been this close to any woman except Luna and Iris, and Noctis could sense the tiny nervousness whirling in his stomach because of it. His eyes drifted, on their own, down to her generous low-cut neckline exposing her cleavage. What was she? A vixen?

“I wish her to be kind,” Noctis started, quickly averting his eyes, “Loyal and someone who makes me laugh. I wouldn’t mind about her being pretty, either. Someone who I can love and learn to love even more,” he replied.

Stella kept looking at Noctis softly, but didn’t say anything. She tugged her blond hair behind her ear.

“It’s difficult to imagine you wouldn’t have met anyone like that already. I bet a bachelor like you would have plenty of suitors,” she noted.

Noctis shifted in his seat, a bit uncomfortable.

“I have run from one woman to the next for more than a year now and the palace’s mail is flooded with love letters. Yet, for some reason, I haven’t met her. No matter how hard I have tried. During this journey, there has been one I really liked – no, someone I really like – and who I could learn to love like a husband, but she’s out from Shiva’s description.”

“And you believe her? That Goddess of yours?” Stella was curious.

“…I have no other option but do that,” Noctis said after a small pause. He didn’t know how Stella would take the answer, but he had to do what the king had to do – and the first and the most important task for the Lucis’s king was to respect and follow the will of Astrals. He was unsure would Stella really understand that as a Nilfheimian even though she understood what having a certain role meant.

“…When you put it into that context, I can see where you are coming from with this sudden meeting with me,” Stella filled the silence which had lingered between for a moment. She fumbled her fingers, her eyes averted from Noctis. “I don’t wish to be a trophy to any man, not even to Lucis’s future king. You do understand that Shiva’s mission is basically something that places the woman of yours into a state of a trophy; of an item to be sought and found. While I have a role to fit in, such a role doesn’t fit me at all. Lunafreya might be different, for she has devoted her life to the Astrals, but I, as a mere woman inside the Nilfheim’s castle, under the wing of the Emperor, am not like her.”

“I’m not looking for a trophy but a person to love,” Noctis quickly noted, leaning closer to Stella. “My heart is into this, completely. I wish nothing more than to find and marry her and for us to be happy together. I’m not here to ask you to marry me because I have to; I came here on my own.”

Ah. A small lie there. He had arrived here because he had to. Like there would have been a chance to negotiate with the Astrals about his Divine Mission in the first place. Hah! Noctis felt horrible but hid it well.

Stella’s heard turned back to Noctis and she carefully inspected his stern looking eyes. Her lips curved softly.

“You are much more mature than I anticipated,” she sighed pleased. Then she stood up suddenly. “Noctis, I have a request. Not as a Niflheim’s future empress but as Stella,” she said, standing in front of Noctis with palms crossed in front of her hips.

“Yes?” Noctis asked, his head tilted up to her face.

“I wish we could meet again. I want to learn a bit more about you and negotiate more. I understand why you are here, but if I’m about to marry you, I want to get to know you better before I can give you any answer, whether I agree or disagree with your mission. I promise it all will be confidential – any politics will be kept away from our meetings. It’s just between us. My fathe--- I mean the Emperor might be like that, as old fashioned guard dog of Niflheim as he is, but he’s not here for the next month, so I rule this place as I see fit.”

Noctis had to smile at her wittiness. She was clearly strong-headed woman, going to boldly her own way. He nodded at Stella with a smirk.

“That’s fine with me, but I must also request something from you; that my friends and servants will not be mixed into with this. This is just between us, like you stated.”

“Naturally. I guarantee their safety anywhere in Niflheim. I’m not interested in any international miffs,” Stella promised without missing a beat, her eyes sincere. “As this is our first meeting, I think it’s best to go with at least some level of protocol and thus keep this short. But I’d like to meet you again tomorrow and have a longer chat. Our matter is very grave and will affect the future of both our nations, if you are indeed right and the Goddess of yours is pushing us into each other’s arms. I will not, however, bend to a will of an Astral that easily. You need to convince me of your sincerity. Of your value to me. This is, after all, a political business, no matter how romantic views you might have about your important mission. I hope you forgive me for speaking so directly, especially when this is our first official meeting, but I don’t value lying or fool’s plays.”

Noctis felt himself sort of small all of the sudden in front of Stella after her speech. He pushed those feelings back to where they had risen from and took a direct look at Stella.

“My intentions are sincere and I promise to speak in all honesty. I do understand where we stand, both as possible partners and as the pawns with our roles given to us at our birth,” Noctis said.

“Then; let’s us meet tomorrow here and negotiate more. I will arrange an accommodation worthy of you for you and your servants. Please, feel welcomed here. I only wish we will manage to negotiate about this matter face to face before the Emperor returns. I know he won’t accept your sudden visits or courting me that easily,” Stella said, gesturing Noctis to stand up from his seat. Noctis followed her gesture.

They did meet the next day – and the day after that and a day after that. While the first days in Niflheim had gone well without any trance-like sleeping hitting him, Noctis was still sleepy and did his best not to pass out during the meetings. Noctis did enjoy Stella’s company, a lot more than he had anticipated. She was very warm, humorous, playful, kind and oddly way both direct and indirect – a rare flower inside the Emperor’s palace. The longer Noctis spend time with Stella, the more he started to feel bad for her and to consider what she had said about their roles to him at their first meeting. Yet, Noctis kept his mouth shut about the matter and strolled with Stella around the palace’s yards and roof top garden, their hands linked together from elbows. Noctis enjoyed this closeness with a such nice woman and he caught his heart fluttering often when their eyes met. Slightly, but still.

However, Noctis was growing a bit impatient when Stella didn’t give any direct yes or no answer to him despite knowing why he was there. Either she was still curious about him and wanted to know more, or just playing around with him. Noctis did complain to Ignis about this, but Ignis soothed Noctis saying that Stella was clearly a very careful leader and didn’t wish to haste with such an enormous decision; and Noctis shouldn’t do that either. They had already traveled so long and a little delay wouldn’t make any difference at this point.

Before a one particular meeting, Noctis had one of the worst episodes at their hotel. It started with nausea and vomiting; emptying his stomach three times within an hour, and after that Noctis started to feel sleepy. He practically passed out on his feet and only Gladio’s quick reflexes prevented Noctis from falling on the floor and hitting his head against a table. At first everyone got scared that something bad had happened – maybe Stella had poisoned him – but Noctis slept peacefully and had no other symptoms. The planned meeting with Stella was cancelled by Ignis when Noctis couldn’t be woken up. Ignis ended up talking with Stella on the phone on the hotel room’s balcony, while Prompto had curled around Noctis’s body protectively on the bed.

Noctis was out cold, snoring this time, and Gladio took a look at Prompto’s worried expression.

“He’s snoring; that’s a good sign,” he said to Prompto with a brotherly voice, “He’s most likely just sleeping now and recharging his batteries from the throwing up and all Stella meetings.”

“...Yeah. When he’s having those moments he either tosses and turns, cries or is completely quiet like a corpse,” Prompto agrees. His hands curled tighter around Noctis. “I hope he gets better soon…”

“Me, too. Doctors really didn’t find anything wrong with him and the medication hasn’t worked… It’s as Ignis and Luna said…” Gladio muttered with a bothered voice.

“Luna said that she would send us some incenses which should help Noctis to hear the Gods’ messages better without side effects. We should pick those up from Hammerhead when we get back from Niflheim,” Prompto reminded Gladio.

“Speaking of Niflheim; how are you feeling?” he asked from Prompto.

“Eh, me?” Prompto squawked, his head bolting up to look at Gladio directly.

“You were really afraid to come here. Has it gotten any better?”

“…Yeah, sort of. I mean, I can stay in this hotel and not go out, and Noct said Stella was having our backs so. It makes me calmer than the idea of hanging around in the palace or the streets. I really don’t like this city…” Prompto chew his lower lip. “Honestly; if it wasn’t for Noct’s sake, I wouldn’t have come here at all.”

“Hah. You really are the Royal Comforter,” Gladio smirked, getting another squawk from Prompto.

“The Royal What?” he asked with a loud voice, but didn’t get answer because Ignis returned back from the balcony phone call inside.

“I had a chat with Stella. I told her Noctis was under the weather without going into any details and apologized for the missed meeting. She admitted she had noticed Noctis being tired yesterday. She requested that we’d wait for her official answer from now on, as she wouldn’t want to bother Noctis more when he’s sick. She promised to arrange us a comfortable hotel room away from the Niflheim’s city, a rural place near Insomnia’s border, where we can wait for her reply to Noctis’s proposal,” Ignis explained.

“From so far away? Why?” Prompto was boggled and Gladio looked as surprised as he did.

“Her Highness thought fresh air and the sun would help Noctis to heal up faster,” Ignis smiled gently, “Such a good hearted and thoughtful princess I must say. Yet, she’s still a very, very risky choice for Noctis. We can’t forget that. Even if we got Noctis a kind wife like Stella, with her arrives a massive political load which will dim Insomnia’s light – no pun intended there.”

Prompto petted sleeping Noctis’s head thoughtfully, his own head lifted up to Ignis’s direction. He was chewing his lips nervously.

“Poor Noct,” he breathed out, his eyes unfocused and pitiful. “I never thought it would be this hard to be a royal. I kinda hoped this would have been a relaxing, fun mission. With lots of nice memories and moments together, you know.”

“We can have those after this trip is over,” Ignis reassured Prompto.

“It’s a good thing the princess took us in so warmly. Honestly; I was ready to bash some heads in but nothing happened,” Gladio straightened his back on the comfortable chair, which for once was big enough for his muscular frame for him to sit comfortably.

“Stella is clearly a very different person from the rumors and a complete opposite of the emperor himself,” Ignis agreed. Then he turned to look both Prompto and Gladio. “I suggest we rest and leave then to the city where Stella is going to send us, as soon as we get a confirmation from her about the booked accommodation. Let us hope that Noctis will feel better then.”

 

\---------------------------------------- 

 

“Noctis,” Prompto whispered to Noctis’s ear at the back seat of Regalia, where he had squeezed himself to Gladio’s dismay, saying that he wanted – at least for once – sit next to Noctis. Gladio was all but forced to take the shotgun seat.

Noctis’s closed eyes opened slowly.

“Uh?” he mumbled, looking tired.

“You’ve been nodding off there for a long time. Are you okay?” Prompto asked with tightly pressed lips, getting a long, long stretch from Noctis with a yawn.

“Let me borrow you,” Noctis mumbled and crashed on Prompto’s thighs, his heading nuzzling into a better position. He yawned once more loudly.

Prompto’s heart was racing rapidly in his chest. He shouldn’t blush now. Shouldn’t do anything strange. He reminded himself that Noctis was his best friend and it was alright for Noctis to borrow his lap for a pillow if he wanted that. Reminded himself that Noctis was in a deep shit and he shouldn’t make that shit pit any deeper by starting to have so obvious feelings for Noctis that Ignis would sniff it out. It was hard with Ignis around – thank the Astrals for their long lasted and close friendship with Noctis, as Prompto could get away with a lot because of it. He could touch Noctis, soothe him and keep him close to his body. He had tried to scold himself, tried to tell himself that he shouldn’t enjoy so much of the role of The Royal Comforter, as Gladio had put it. He shouldn’t find pleasure of gluing onto Noctis when he was out cold and having a sleep seizure. But, right now, it was the only moment when he could touch Noctis. Be as close to Noctis as it was possible for him.

Noctis was already deep asleep and the wind whirled his long bangs around lightly. Prompto placed hesitantly his palm over Noctis’s shoulder, another one coming on the top of his head for a few strokes. He was so warm there. So warm and fragile.

If Noctis was lucky, this would be soon over. If Stella was the right one – and she most likely was based on what they knew about Shiva’s riddle – Noctis could soon rest properly. He could get married, be happy with his wife, settle down with his role as the Lucis’s future king and accept the crown when King Regis wanted to retire. Prompto wanted Noctis to succeed. Wanted that so bad – and at the same time, he wished this trip would never end. That he would never need to let go of Noctis, let go of his warm body, his back so beautifully wide in his hold when Prompto embraced him in his sleep. It felt… natural. Prompto didn’t want to think about that more, but pushed such memory away from his mind. He should have been happy for Noctis to get so close to his mission’s end. That’s why they had left from Insomnia what seemed years ago. It all was getting worse and worse for Noctis the longer they traveled and none of them knew why. They did, however, silently agree that as soon as the Divine Mission would be over, Noctis could be his own self again. He deserved to rest.

And still, Prompto selfishly wished that they wouldn’t find The Divine Partner yet. That this wasn’t the finale of their journey. If Prompto knew how much his heart would start to ache for Noctis for spending with him every single day without any distance for this long, he would have stayed home.

He needed to keep quiet. Not let anyone know how much he loved Noctis. They had important things at hand: Noctis’s future. Noctis’s health. The political balance between Lucis and Niflheim.

His feelings were last on the list of concerns right now.

Noctis wasn’t into guys anyway, which Prompto was painfully aware of. He liked that singer Lira and drooled when he read Tampered with that busty character Mari. Noctis actually, in all honestly, loving him back was just a fantasy in Prompto’s head. Sometimes his fantasies went so far that he dreamed about them being together as a couple with Noctis. It always felt real and so very warm, and heart-wrenchingly cruel after Prompto woke up from those dreams.

Ignis had noted to him recently that he shouldn’t take his role as Noctis’s comforter so seriously because Prompto was also getting tired. He had agreed with Ignis, saying that he was just worried about Noctis and wished everything would go fine. There was no way he would have ever let anyone know that his tiredness wasn’t only due to worry, but majority of it was caused by a broken heart. Prompto reminded himself that he had caused his own emotional turmoil and even though when they couldn’t be together with Noctis in the way he wanted, he was still happy to be part of Noctis’s life. Noctis made him happy. Made him feel content and accepted. It was a nice feeling and Prompto made up his mind that he should concentrate more on the good feelings than bad ones. 

Prompto had learned to live with a fake confidence and mastered all possible tricks of how to act like nothing was wrong. He had multiple faces. Multiple masks he could put on and fool even Ignis. Fool even himself to believe those faces he put on where real.

He was sly like that. So very sly.

And he loved Noctis so much he’d keep those masks on, all for Noctis’s sake. 

 

 


	16. The Nightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Noctis is not his own self.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter update "delayed" a bit because Rynn's home's power was out for days. But, here we are now! Thank you so much for your comments and support so far <3 Please, keep them coming freely.

Like Stella had arranged, the group moved to a smaller town away from Niflheim’s busy city area. The small village welcomed them warmly and Noctis was happy to be able to finally breathe without fear of causing an international conflict because of his Divine Mission. It wasn’t until now that Noctis realized how scared he had been in Niflheim, despite Stella treating him kindly. Frankly, Noctis had to admit she had started to interest him, too, but he had been too dense and too scared of a possible political commotion to actually make any moves on her. He pondered if would he need to kiss her if her answer to his proposal was yes. Would it actually help like Prompto said? 

“How long do you think we have to wait for Stella’s answer?” Gladio asked Ignis, looking rather sour. He was stabbing his lunch with his fork, trying to hunt down meatballs.

“Unfortunately, I have no idea, but I don’t think it’s going to take long. We know she wants to handle this before Emperor’s return and we’ve already had a promising start, haven’t we?” Ignis replied to Gladio, turning then to take a look at Noctis over the long table. Noctis blushed, avoiding Ignis’s eyes.

“You could say that. Baby steps y’know?” he said, flushing slightly. He was sort of embarrassed by the fact that he had taken a small but obvious interest in Stella – aka him blushing whenever one of the guys brought their “secret meetings” up with snickers - and that Stella clearly was sort of interested in him in return. Otherwise she would have declined Noctis already.

“What do we do after her answer?” Prompto asked between bites of his food.

“It depends on her answer, but I’d suggest we’d let the possible couple to be meet more and get more familiar with each other until stating the news officially, if her reply is positive. After that there needs to be the 6 months’ engagement time before a wedding required by Lucian law, but that’s the minimum; the engagement can last longer if the couple wishes,” Ignis replied matter-of-factly.

“Still makes me uncomfortable, thinkin’ about this marriage’s effects on Lucis,” Gladio continued his grumpy murmuring. 

Everyone’s face fell at his words. Noctis felt guilty, but didn’t say that out loud.

“If it’s the wish of Astrals, then we have to follow it and trust in their wisdom,” Ignis pointed out, obviously running out of reasons as to why things were going to the direction they were. For once, Ignis didn’t have a very solid vision of the future.

“But you know, I’m kinda happy that we’ve have such a promising option in our hands now,” Prompto pointed out with a series of his trademark head nods. He was smiling in Noctis’s direction, but Noctis just cocked his eyebrow.

“Kinda?” he repeated Prompto’s word, taking him by surprise. Prompto lifted his hands up in the air quickly looking apologetic.

“I mean … a marriage is a rather serious business and your foolish bachelor days will be over, Noct. No more trips like this,” he defended himself with stuttering, his pale eyebrows curved upwards in a genuine apologetic frown. 

“Prompto’s right. Better get ready for the role of a husband and a king. It’s very likely that she is it, Noct,” Ignis calmly defended Prompto. 

Ignis’s comment made Noctis’s heart feel heavy. He couldn’t admit to the guys that he was afraid of marriage – that was the whole point of this blasted trip. He decided to concentrate on the mental image of standing in front of their altar back in Lucis with Stella. 

“It’s good to see you haven’t been sleepy today,” Prompto changed the subject, his bright smile returning back into his blue eyes.

Noctis smirked at him from the corner of his mouth, now stained with ketchup.

“I’ve been better,” he said, not wanting to tell he was still seeing that nightmare, but he had sort of learned to deal with it. He kept saying himself it wasn’t important and that if it was, he would eventually figure it out. Right now, he had to concentrate on this possible marriage deal. He was close, oh so close, to completing the mission and returning back home as the true king. He’d see this mission to it’s end, no matter what.

Prompto’s hand rose up to wipe Noctis’s smudged mouth’s corner.

“But still too sleepy to eat properly without making a mess,” he joked, embarrassing Noctis so much he flushed all to way up to his ears and smacked Prompto’s hand away from his face with a displeased grunt. Prompto just laughed at his expense – Noctis knew Prompto was teasing and making fun of him.

“Noctis has indeed forgotten his table manners. Maybe this trip has lasted a bit too long?” Ignis agreed humorously, pointing at the table were pieces of Noctis’s lunch had spilled over the plate’s edges. This comment didn’t help Noctis’s blush; quite frankly, it made him only redder.

“Alright, I’m tired,” Noctis tried with a complaining voice, but no one believed him. Just laughed at him and his sour looking face. 

Their joy was cut short when they started to hear loud noises coming from outside. They sounded like people screaming and yelling and in a second Gladio was on his feet like a proper guardian, his eyes narrow and focused.  Following Gladio everyone got up and rushed after him outside, just to witness something they had never anticipated; a herd of Behemoths rampaging in the city, causing havoc and bringing down small buildings. One of the bigger apartments was already showing signs of collapsing if the beasts kept bombarding them too much.

“Behemoths! What, five of them?!” Gladio said incredulously. “We gotta keep the townsfolk safe!”

“I agree!” Ignis yelled over the ruckus. “Noctis, Prompto; get ready for the fight and evacuate as many civilians as possible. We can do this with minimum damage if we concentrate on it together. We don’t have to kill the Behemoths; just chase them back where they came from.”

“Why are they here?” Prompto asked, scared, but stood with his gun readied nonetheless.

“It’s their mating season. Sometimes they get a bit aggressive and go nuts, but I’ve never seen so many at once like this,” Gladio frowned angrily. “Anyway; less talk and more action. Let’s go guys! Stay sharp and don’t get killed. Anyone who does will be brought back to life and I will  _ personally  _ kill you again. Got it?”

Noctis nodded and dashed with Prompto in the opposite direction of Ignis and Gladio, all of them silently deciding to stay a bit far from each other. Noctis heart was drumming madly, so hard its sound made him almost deaf. He was worried someone was going to get hurt, a heavy feeling of foreboding settling in his gut. Thankfully, the men and women gathered together to defend themselves against the beasts and Noctis vowed to give all he had to protect these people. They weren’t his citizens, but if he was going to marry Stella, he should defend her people. Do it for her. They were her beloved citizens – and even if they weren’t, Noctis didn’t have the heart to leave people in distress. Not when their lives were at stake. 

The Behemoths turned out to be more stubborn than Noctis had anticipated. The herd broke apart, two of the Behemoths careening farther into the city. Noctis ran after them with a group of men behind him, warping in front of the beasts in the hopes of landing a hit on their noses and turn them away from the city. They weren’t too deep in the city yet, and Noctis didn’t want them to advance any further to avoid as much damages, injuries or losses of lives as possible. He knew Behemoths hated when their sensitive snouts got smacked. If he smacked them hard enough, warping from different directions without giving the beasts time to figure out what had hit them, he might be able to turn the beasts around. It was hard to manage such big creatures in such narrow alleys. He needed to pull together all his willpower to concentrate on the task and not worry about the horrified yells and screams surrounding him. The citizens would help each other out. Noctis had Ignis, Gladio and Prompto on his side. He wasn’t alone against all the beasts. He had help. He just had to do what he thought was the best and do his part and everything would turn out fine. 

The Behemoths cornered themselves into a narrow alley, frantically destroying the buildings around them and smashing down whatever came near them; carriages, stalls, cars, bikes, streets lights… They were rampaging in a small area, tightly together, which made it all the more difficult to get them under control. The Behemoths were growing irritated; not only to the small humans pestering them, but also to each other. They snapped and growled and smacked each other and to Noctis’s horror, he noticed how the Behemoths started to snap at the people, trying to bite or even eat them. He couldn’t let them do that.

It was pure, unadulterated chaos. Fire broke loose somewhere, making the work even harder and putting more lives in danger, and Noctis was warping, warping, warping, warping, from all possible directions, hitting the beasts on their snouts with his sword and kicking them. He didn’t have time to look around him; he only hoped from the bottom of his heart the people at the street level, at the beasts’ feet, would know what to do and do their best to avoid any deaths. Noctis was starting to run out of energy, cursing himself for not carrying any ether with him. He could tell the long period of constant tiredness had affected his body; he wasn’t as fast and durable as he had been before they started their journey.

After what seemed like an eternity of hopeless Behemoth smacking accompanied with loud curses, the beasts finally stood up on their back legs, turning around with protesting loud growls, and headed back to where they had come from.

“Watch out!!” Noctis yelled from the bottom of his lung, glad that he had managed to make them turn to the direction he wanted them to go. They were now heading towards Gladio, Ignis and Prompto and if anyone, Gladio would know how to deal with them. Noctis ran after the beasts, too tired to warp, watching how the beasts avoided the group and headed back out towards the fields next to the city. Perhaps they had sensed Gladio’s malicious aura and decided it was best to avoid that human beast. Noctis let out an amused puff of air at the thought. Then he noticed the other beasts were on that same field, on the opposite corner and he understood the rampage was over. It had been a short but intense one. He wished they wouldn’t return. 

He checked quickly that everything was alright on the street level and no one hadn’t died. Some injuries had happened and he could already hear the sirens of multiple ambulances coming to their direction. After that Noctis ran through the city, arriving to the spot where the Behemoth herd had rampaged the most; bringing down one building into a sad pile of stone and sand crumble. Ignis and Gladio were helping the trapped citizens out with the ruins with other volunteers. Noctis rushed next to them to give them a hand.

Then his mouth opened, surprised. 

“Wait, where’s Prompto?” he asked, boggled that he wasn’t there. 

Gladio’s eyes widened.

“I thought he was with you,” he replied, composing himself quickly. 

“No, he stayed behind when the two beasts ran off from the herd. I didn’t see him,” Noctis said.

“He ran after you to battle the Behemoths, saying he was going to help you and take care of the people at the same time,” Ignis accompanied Gladio.

Noctis paled, but Gladio immediatelt stopped him from freaking out.

“We have no time for that now. We need to take care of the civilians. Prompto’s most likely doing his part and is helping them somewhere. The herd divided in two and caused more damages than we could prevent. Let’s get this over with and search for him later.” 

Noctis wanted to argue, but he couldn’t. Gladio had a point. Yet, he was worried, knowing how unlucky Prompto had been during this trip. He pushed down his fear and concentrated on helping the  trapped people with Gladio, while Ignis was tending to the injured ones. They shared all their potions and remedies with those who needed them, knowing they could always restock them. In the end, the damages turned out to be more material than counted in human lives. No one had died. That was a victory for them, despite the multiple injured victims and financial losses.

By the time they had helped everyone at their post, Noctis was already scanning alert the masses of people to see Prompto. His unruly blond hair was nowhere to be seen.

“I’m going to look for Prompto,” he yelled at Ignis and Gladio and ran away, leaving them behind without listening their replies. 

He rushed to the direction where he had come from a few hours earlier, his head whipping side to side with his running steps, scanning the streets and nooks of the city. He stopped by to ask from a few people if they had seen a man running to this direction. One of them, a young man, remembered seeing Prompto running pass by him earlier, and Noctis hurried to the direction where the young man’s finger was pointing at. It leaded to a dead end, to an area which Noctis hadn’t seen before. Circling around the empty spot Noctis was starting to get worried, but he soothed himself with the fact the city was kind of big.

Then it hit him. Of course: His phone! He should call Prompto. 

“I’m an idiot,” he muttered himself, selecting Prompto from his contact list. He waited.

“The number you are trying to reach is not available. Please try again,” a polite female voice answered to his call.

Noctis’s nose wrinkled, his eyebrows knitting together.

“Not available…?” he mumbled, trying once more. Again, the same female voice repeated the very same answer. Noctis put his phone back into his pocket, worried.

“I wonder if he ran out of battery…”

Noctis continued his search, asking around if anyone had seen Prompto, showing people his photo from his phone – but no one had any answers. He decided to try an opposite direction, calling Prompto’s name loudly over the city’s sounds.  Noctis ran and walked and ran and walked and ran and walked a little more, but Prompto wasn’t there, no matter where he headed to. Exhausted, Noctis finally stopped at the market square’s corner, out of breath, his body shaking after being asked to warp so often in the fight, help out trapped people for hours and after all of that to run around the city. He reminded himself that it wouldn’t do any good if he went running around aimlessly; he had done that already, all in vain. Right now he needed a better plan.

Ignis called Noctis suddenly, startling him with the loud ringtone.

“Noct, where are you?” Ignis asked.

“Ah… Near the market square. Is Prompto with you?” he asked hastily. Ignis was quiet for a second.

“Unfortunately, not. Shall we join the search with Gladio?”

“Please,” Noctis replied, his voice cracking slightly. He felt suddenly like crying. “I—I’ll wait here, near the noodle restaurant.”

“Stay put. We’re on our way,” Ignis promised, ending the short call.

Noctis's heart was getting colder by every passing second. It wasn’t Prompto’s style to disappear like this. Prompto didn’t feel comfortable in masses of people. By the time Ignis and Gladio arrived to Noctis’s spot, he could tell they were also genuinely worried.  

“Gladio went through all the volunteer spots and I covered the hospital, but we couldn’t find Prompto. We can’t reach his phone either,” Ignis informed Noctis, making his heart drop.

“I tried to call him too but I can’t reach Prompto… He must have run out of battery,” Noctis assured them, his voice shivering. 

“I’ve informed police and hospital staff that one of us is missing. They will immediately give me or Ignis a call if they spot Prompto,” Gladio told Noctis, earning a nod from him in return.

“…You… You don’t think something happened to Prompto? What if he got buried under those collapsed buildings?” Noctis was starting to panic.

“I assure you he’s not there. Everyone has been gotten out from the buildings so far and like I said, last time Gladio and I saw Prompto he was running after you. You didn’t see him?” Ignis asked, thoughtfully crossing his arms over his dirty shirt.

“No,” Noctis whispered, thinking that he should have kept better eye on Prompto. “Goddammit, Prompto…! Why is it always him…!” he hissed frustrated, raking his hair frantically.

“Let’s not get too hasty,” Ignis calmed Noctis down before he would freak out completely. “We better keep searching and wait here. We’re stuck in this city until we receive word from Stella anyway.”

Stella was the last thing on Noctis’s mind at this moment, but Ignis had a good point. They made a plan of searching Prompto in turns, while the rest would relocate to the hotel. Noctis wanted to continue his search, but Ignis and Gladio demanded him to rest, forbidding him to leave the hotel room. Noctis had no other option but submit under their will. 

\--------

Some days after the Behemoth rampage, Prompto was still missing. Their efforts hadn’t been fruitful but Noctis kept his hopes up. He had to believe in Prompto. Believe that everything was fine and would turn out to be alright. It had been only a few days. Prompto would survive that time alone. 

Ignis got up from his seat, placing his morning coffee mug on the table next to him when he rose up. He had his phone in hand and he was reading something.

“Stella has replied, Your Highness,” Ignis spoke to Noctis, but he barely heard Ignis; just kept standing in front of Ignis with a distant look. He had had such an odd look on his face ever since Prompto got separated from them. The untouched breakfast tray was still on Noctis’s bed. He had been pacing back and worth the room since waking up but now, Noctis had halted, his face unreadable before Ignis.

“And?” Noctis asked, not really feeling like wanting to listen to the answer right now.

“Miss Nox Fleuret has stated in her official email that she has nothing against the marriage, but she will want to have an official response from the Prince of Lucis. This is a good day for us,” Ignis informed Noctis with a relieved smile.

Gladio, however, pursed his lips, leaning back in his seat.

“So, she says that she needs to have a proper proposal from Noct?” he murmured.

“Seems so, but it’s a common practice. These things need to go by the protocol book in the end," Ignis said.

“That means that she can still refuse the official proposal,” Gladio noted but Ignis smiled at him calmly.

“I highly doubt that would be the case,” he kept smiling, earning a curious look from Gladio.

“You look like you expected the princess’s answer to be what we got,” Gladio smirked. Ignis just shrugged his shoulders, looking oddly bashful. 

“Let’s just say I had a good hunch about this all. Even though we are here without the King’s knowledge, we need to approach the next step according to all royal formalities. We need to draft a proposal letter, followed by a formal proposal meeting based on the date which we will get from Niflheim. We should return to Insomnia, as there’s nothing we can do about this in Niflheimian ground, far out from the Caelum’s palace,” Ignis explained, his head turning to Noctis.

Noctis looked like he hadn’t heard much of anything of the message. Ignis cocked his eyebrow.

“Did you hear me, Noct?” he asked.

“I did,” Noctis snorted with a sharp glare. “You said we’re going back to Insomnia. I won’t have it. Stella can wait. Prompto comes first and I won’t leave here until we have found him.”

Ignis and Gladio gave each other long stares underneath their brows. 

“Noct, you do realize this is an international matter? That we have most likely now found The Divine Partner: If neither one of you calls it quits, that is?” Gladio asked. 

Noctis’s eyes narrowed quickly.

“I’m aware of that but I can’t feel much joy about it without Prompto. He wanted me to find her the most and I want him to hear the news. We’re not leaving without him. We’re not leaving Prompto in the enemy territory.”

The room fell awfully silent after Noctis’s comment. Gladio and Ignis looked at each other once more. Gladio chewed his lower lip, leaning against his knees in his chair and tapped his fingertips together thoughtfully.

“…You know… It’s possible that… he’s not coming,” Gladio offered carefully, in as compassionate a voice he could muster.

Noctis’s already narrowed eyes narrowed even more. He turned sideways to Gladio, his chin rising up defiantly.

“Prompto  _ will _ come back,” he snapped at Gladio.

“…It’s… I mean… Based on what we were dealing with and how Prompto vanished without a trace it’s…” Gladio paused, thinking, “I… I really don’t want to say this out loud but... right now it seems like  those Behemoths got him…”

Noctis whipped to face Gladio, his now moist eyes flaring.

“Prompto was not eaten!” he cried, hands curled into fists.

“At this point, we must consider all possibilities…and it’s been almost a week now,” Ignis pointed out softly, only getting an angry and deeply frustrated growl from Noctis. 

“PROMPTO’S ALIVE,” Noctis underlined his words with a threatening step to Ignis’s direction. Ignis put his hands up in the air in front of his chest as a gesture of peace. It calmed Noctis down a little. He turned his head away from Ignis and Gladio, staring at the peeling wallpaper.

“Prompto was not eaten. He wasn’t. He’s alive, well and taking care of someone somewhere. I know it. Prompto wouldn’t die that easily,” Noctis spoke with a strained voice, his tone determined despite wavering slightly. “He’ll be back soon.”

Ignis took his glasses off with a sigh. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.

“Noctis. This is a small city. You walk the whole thing within a day. No one has seen Prompto since. We haven’t gotten any messages from him either. If...if Prompto was here, someone would have found him already…” Ignis explained calmly, his voice oddly weak despite his strong posture.

Noctis, as much as he wanted to, couldn’t deny Ignis words. He had thought about that, too. Thought about that maybe Prompto wasn’t returning, but he had refused to believe it until now. He had to give it to Gladio and Ignis; they had a valid point. Prompto was nowhere to be found. No one had seen him.  It was like he had been vanished into a thin air immediately after the Behemoth rampage.

Noctis couldn’t believe it. Didn’t believe it.

Not Prompto…!

“He promised he wouldn’t leave me!” Noctis cried out loudly suddenly with a shattered heart, his face twisted in agony. “Promised that no matter what, he’d have my back...!”

Slowly Noctis sank on the floor, his body finally giving in. 

It couldn’t be true. His worst fear couldn’t be true. He hadn’t stayed up all this time just for this terrible news. Hadn’t waited next to his phone, trying to call Prompto again and again, just to hear this. This had to be a joke. Or a nightmare. 

Prompto couldn’t... Not Prompto…

With a hollow wail Noctis folded in on himself, his forehead pressing against the cool hotel floor and cried out loud. Cried from the bottom of his lungs, so hard it hurt his chest and throat. His hands curled into trembling fists.

He didn’t want to think about it. Didn’t want to think about Prompto being dead. Didn’t want to think about him meeting his end like that, in such a cruel some way, while he – he, who Prompto had run after – had been so close to him. Why hadn’t he seen him or heard him? He should have heard Prompto’s desperate call if he was in a trouble. What if it had happened so fast Prompto had no time to react? He wasn’t a trained fighter like the rest of the group. Millions of horrible thoughts and nagging questions whirled through Noctis head, suffocating him.

He couldn’t take it. 

Not Prompto…! 

By the love of Astrals, not the sweet, innocent Prompto. His mission wasn’t worth getting anyone killed and it definitely wasn’t worth Prompto’s life.

That was too high of a cost to pay. He couldn’t accept a crown over Prompto’s corpse. He couldn’t.

Noctis's mind was going blank, nothing but images of Prompto, their time together, mixing inside his head with twisted mental images of what might have happened. 

It was too much for Noctis. He felt like he, too, was dying as he laid on the floor, shouting and crying and yelling his loss endlessly.

Outside, the clouds which had loomed in the air since the morning, had finally released. It was like the Mother Nature was crying with Noctis, showing her overflowing compassion to Noctis’s unseen sorrow.

In the end, when Ignis and Gladio couldn’t calm the frantically screaming Noctis down, Gladio had to carry him out from the hotel through the raining city, all the way to the Regalia. He was too devastated to be able to walk, too disoriented to take care of himself. Noctis cried helplessly while thrown over Gladio’s shoulder, his voice getting only louder and more pained the further away they got from the hotel – further away the city where he had last seen Prompto - and by the time they had managed to get to the car, Noctis’s was utterly inconsolable. 

“I’m going to kill every single Behemoth on this planet!” Noctis swore and cried, his trembling body taking up the whole back seat. “Prompto!!”

“Where should we go now? To Insomnia?” Glaio, who sat behind the wheel, asked Ignis. His face was also shaken. Ignis knew Gladio was trying to keep himself together – as much as he was, too – all for Noctis’s sake. They couldn’t fall in front of their King, not when he needed them the most.

“I’d say directly to Insomnia. Despite what has happened, we have to continue with the mission, but only after Noctis has calmed down.”

“I’m never calming down! I quit! I fucking quit you hear me?! You and you and that astral bitch! I’m going to have her head for this! How dare she?! How dare she do this to me?! How can she let Prompto die like that?! She’s supposed to protect me!” Noctis was swearing with such an untamed fury he looked like he could eat someone alive. His eyes were flaming and fierce, something Ignis nor Gladio had seen in him before – something which made both of their souls shiver. Noctis had pushed his upper body up to his elbow, his position like animal’s who was ready to launch at its prey, but then he crumbled down, hollow wails filling the car as he cried again, heart-broken from the loss of his best friend.

His only friend.

His Prompto. 

This had to be a nightmare. 

He wailed with loud and endless cries of agony and loss, his face stained with tears which streamed like a river on his pain twisted face. Cried desperately, completely out of any comfort’s reach; kicked and punched anything that happened to be on his way, including driver’s seat.

Gladio’s started getting more frustrated and concerned the longer Noctis protested against cruel fate at the back seat.

“Ignis please, calm him down. I can concentrate on driving,” he begged from Ignis, looking honestly troubled.

Ignis on the shotgun seat turned over, reaching his hand out for Noctis.

“Noct,” he called him, but the wailing prince didn’t reply. Just kept bawling with loud curses and yells.

“Noctis, please! Stop kicking the car! That’s not going to help,” Ignis tried once more with a trembling tone, his face worried. He knew Noctis couldn’t be soothed that easily, but he had to try. 

“Nothing’s going to help!!” Noctis bawled desperately, “Prompto’s gone! My best friend! I want my best friend Prompto back!!”

There was nothing else Ignis could do than try to touch Noctis reassuringly, placing his hand on him wherever he could place his palm through Noctis’s furious tossing and kicking. Eventually, Noctis stopped his rampage, continuing his empty lament sadly with trembling cries, his body curling into a ball on the back seat, his face hidden from views. 

His body was giving up, breaking underneath the stress and shock.

He felt like dying. 

This had to be the worst nightmare.

If he tried really hard, maybe he could fall back asleep and then wake up in their hotel room. Or his own room. Yeah. If he tried really hard, he would wake up in his own room, in his own bed. It would be the Astral Ceremony’s day. He would hear his mission there, which would be something very easy – like slaying a beast tormenting peasants in the far, far away countryside – and after killing the beast he’d come back home. They’d celebrate his success and set a day for the coronation. Ignis and Gladio and Iris would be there. Father and Luna and Cor, too. And Prompto. Prompto would be there. Drinking perhaps a bit too many cocktails or eating his almost bottomless stomach full with Ignis’s first class recipes; so much that he would complain sadly his aching stomach to Noctis later the evening. 

Oh god. He wanted to hold Prompto. Pull his body against his, so very tightly, and never let go. He’d do that. He’d do that as soon as he woke up in his own bedroom, from his own bed; woke up from this horrible nightmare to a new day in the forever dark Insomnia, where the sun never rose, but where Prompto was warm next to his body underneath the same royal duvet…

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------

  
Noctis had hard time breathing. It was hot and uncomfortable and when he opened his eyes, he noticed he was completely under a thick duvet. He brushed the duvet off, taking a big breath of fresh air, and noticed he was in a large bedroom. All the lights were gone and the city’s lights reflected softly on the opposite wall from the tall, beautifully decorated window. Noctis sat up groggily, blinking his tired eyes. It was quiet. Eerily quiet. The rustling of his expensive bed linen sounded almost aggressive in Noctis’s ear in contrast to the utter silence.

Where was he again? Oh yeah, in his bedroom. This was his bed. The room looked familiar now when he took a better look at it. He was home.

Slowly Noctis slid up from the bed, his dark tank top and loose grey pants keeping him warm in the cold room. The air was indeed colder than it should had been, but it helped Noctis to shake off some of his sleepiness. His head was hurting and his eyes felt burning. He was glad to feel the cool air on his heavy eyelids. It was sort of difficult to stay awake.

He stumbled to his front door, pushing it open and noticing it was sort of heavy. He must have been still tired. What he had been doing exactly? Noctis couldn’t remember. 

The hallway was as empty, dark and quiet, all similar to Noctis’s own room. Noctis stood in front of his bedroom in the hallway, looking to both direction, but he couldn’t see or hear anyone. Yawning he decided to head back to  bed – it must have been late night and everyone was sleeping.  Besides, his bare feet were starting to protest against the chilling coldness seeping into his toes and soles from the floor. 

“Just a little further.”

“Hmm? Ignis, is that you?” Noctis muttered, still sleepy. He was sure he had heard someone speaking to him. 

“Just a little further.”

Noctis shook his head, slapping his face with both hands. He scanned the hallway once more, but couldn’t see anyone. He looked for a light switch but when he flickered it, nothing happened. The hallway was still dim. 

“…Alright…” he muttered to himself, getting sort of uneasy. Was the power out?

“Ignis?” Noctis called his advisor, expecting him to come from the other side of the hallway, but no one answered his call.

“It’s there.”

The same odd voice reached Noctis’s ears, but like last time, he couldn’t see anyone. Couldn’t pinpoint where the voice was coming from, but it vibrated only in his chest. It didn’t belong to Ignis, that much Noctis could tell now.

“What is, where is it?” Noctis asked unsure from the voice.

“A little further.”

Hesitantly, Noctis started to walk toward the main hallway, his fingers trailing the wall next to his right. His bare foot steps sounded hollow and hard on the floor. He carefully peeked in the main hallway, where the gigantic ceiling light was dimly lit. It looked like it was using the last dregs of power and Noctis took a look at its cold colored light suspiciously: So, if the light was on, even though it was dim there couldn’t be a power outage. Maybe there was something wrong with the electric circuits or something, which Noctis really hadn’t much any knowledge of. It wasn’t his job to know how the electricity in the palace actually worked. 

“A little further,” the voice rummaged through Noctis’s chest once again, vibrating in his rib cage like it was coming from within him. Quickly Noctis touched his chest with both hands, running them hastily over his black shirt, but he couldn’t feel anything unusual. Everything was normal.

“C…Carbuncle?” Noctis asked himself, remembering that Carbuncle was his father’s Personal Astral. The small, adorable little creature had used to play with Noctis a lot in his childhood, giving him attention whenever his father was a bit too busy for him.  He knew Carbuncle could talk to him telepathically. 

Obviously, no one replied to Noctis’s question, not even he himself. He was curious of the voice and he also wanted to know what exactly was ‘a little further’ away. 

Oh! He got it now! It must have indeed been Carbuncle. They played “Hot and Cold”-hide and seek like this when he was little. This must have been his doing. Perhaps he was getting lonely and wanted to play with Noctis. He’d go along with this little game.

Quietly Noctis headed for the stairs, which spiraled down in a most graceful way; their beautiful hand trails cool under Noctis’s warm fingertips. He descended slowly, step by step, listening carefully. Carbuncle was so tiny it could be hidden anywhere. He needed to listen to Carbuncle’s hints.

“A little further,” the words vibrated in Noctis’s chest once more and he grinned. He was getting closer.

At the end of the stairs Noctis walked very slowly away the stairs to scan the area better. There were the long hallways spreading to multiple directions. Somehow it looked both familiar and yet unfamiliar; had they always had that painting of Astrals on that wall? Or that chair with luscious looking red pillow on it over there? Noctis stopped suddenly. Wait a minute… When he had been at home the last time? Oddly he had a feeling like he should have been somewhere else right now. Where was it? He couldn’t remember.

“A few more steps,” the voice told Noctis softly, shaking him from his thoughts.

Noctis stood at a crossroad of corridors, feeling like he should go to his left, towards the hallway which lead to the palace’s front doors, if you just walked long enough. He was feeling uneasy now – something in him said he had forgotten something very important. What was it? It was hard to remember…

“Almost there,” the voice continued speaking to Noctis. He walked slowly, his head getting heavier with each step. He was forgetting something, he surely was forgetting something… What was it? It was something very, very important. Why couldn’t he remember it?

He walked and walked, went down more stairs to the direction he felt he should. He turned to left, heading for a the main hall corridor, but he stopped suddenly, gasping. Quickly he jumped back to the narrow hallway, pressing his back flat against the wall. Cold sweat broke on Noctis’s forehead. 

There was a Behemoth. A full-grown Behemoth in the main hall. How it had gotten there? How no one had noticed anything? Noctis was freaking out, his breathing becoming heavy. He couldn’t take that monster alone. He should go and wake up his father, Cor and Gladio. 

Noctis’s body jolted on its own, like being hit by something invisible, all the way from the inside of his guts up to his head. His eyes widened.

Behemoth… Behemoth… It was… That was…

“They like human flesh,” the voice inside Noctis vibrated, making his ears ring with a sharp, annoying screech. 

“Prompto!” Noctis yelped. Everything came rushing back to him;

That beast had eaten Prompto. 

That fucking monster had devoured his very best friend, his sunshine in life. The only sun the Insomnia had. 

He had to kill it. Kill it alone, by himself, and avenge Prompto. That was his duty and honor as a man and as the future king. Fuck calling any help; this was his mission to do. That what Noctis told himself when he took a few deep breaths behind the wall’s corner, hearing how the beast was getting closer to him. He summoned his sword his father had given to him when he had turned 10 years old, and tensed his whole body. Noctis was ready to jump on that beast – to blind it with the first strike so that it couldn’t see him, giving Noctis an upper hand in the battle.

He needed to kill it before anyone else woke up to the noise in the palace. He wouldn’t let anyone pry this opportunity for revenge from his fingers.

He would slay that beast in a so cruel manner they’d be wiping its guts off from the high palace ceiling a week after he had finished with the beast.

Noctis counted to three, listening carefully to the Behemoth’s breathing coming closer to determine the right time for a surprise attack. His fingers curled tighter around his sword’s hilt, his chest heaving silently.

He’d jump on it on 3.

 

1

  
  


2

  
  


3!

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Noctis woke up. His whole body was hurting a lot, like he was run over by a truck. A heavy, fully-loaded truck. His throat was dry as the deserts in Tenebrae and Noctis coughed, catching Gladio’s attention. He stood up from his chair and rushed to Noctis, taking a look at his face.

Noctis’s eyes drifted slowly to Gladio. He looked angry.

“Where am I?” Noctis croaked, his voice a lot weaker than he had anticipated.

Gladio looked conflicted, his facial expressions jumping between angry and unsure.

“We’re back home,” he simply replied, his eyes drilling deeper into Noctis’s soul. Noctis didn’t like that stare.

“Home?” he asked, trying to get up. He was unable to move and soon he realized why; he had been tied down to a hospital bed with thick black belts. Noctis gasped in shock, his head turning hastily to Gladio.

“Wha—what’s going on?” he blabbered, trying to yank his body free. It was in vain.

Gladio pursed his lips together, straightening his body and crossing his arms over his chest. He looked genuinely extremely angry and upset.

“That’s what we’ve been trying to figure out. I’d like to hear your version of it,” he growled, taking Noctis by surprise with his more-hostile-than-usual response.

“I--- I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Noctis hurried to say, his head now somehow utterly clear from the earlier grogginess. 

Gladio didn’t buy it. He slammed his hand on the wall next behind Noctis’s head, scaring him with his looming aura.

“You almost killed one of the palace staff a few days ago. It took both me and Cor to wrestle you down after that attack. We had to tie you down and call Lunafreya to see what’s wrong with you. You were covered in some sort of black mist and your eyes weren’t yours,” Gladio explained with a very low voice, his lips sneering. “I know you are upset with Prompto but this is too much. You have to pull yourself together. Do you realize what’s happening here?”

“Prompto!” Noctis cried, his eyes shooting open. Of course! Prompto! Prompto was…

He broke into tears and sobbing, trying to keep himself together. He was embarrassed to cry in front of Gladio. He had already seen too much and Noctis didn’t want him to see any more. He tried to hide his face by pushing his chin down, but it didn’t help much.

“Listen; we’re all upset, but for the love of Astrals you can’t go ballistic like that,” Gladio sighed, getting away from Noctis’s face. He cast a rather stern look at Noctis, sitting down to his chair and crossing his arms. It wasn’t until now that Noctis noticed how Gladio’s sword was placed next to him against the wall.

Gladio was ready for a fight. Noctis could tell that from his posture and from those brown hunter’s eyes which stared at him so sharply Noctis felt heavy from it alone. 

He was ready to fight Noctis. The one he was supposed to protect. He knew it was serious if Gladio had his weapon next to him.

He couldn’t remember anything. He had sort of strange feeling, but no memories.

“…I… I almost killed someone…?” Noctis stuttered with a sob, trying to push Prompto away from his mind to concentrate on the matter at his hand. “How are they?”

“In a coma,” Gladio said solemly.

“…Did I hurt you or Cor?”

“Gave me a small cut on the leg but that’s all.”

“….I’m sorry… I don’t remember anything… Everything…. Everything’s happening so fast I---I can’t….” Noctis gasped. He felt like crying some more, his eyes burning hot, but he sucked it all in. He couldn’t cry, not now. “…Is Prompto…?” Noctis had to ask, unable to finish the sentence. He already knew the answer, which Gladio gave him:

“Still the same,” Gladio brushed off that matter and Noctis could tell it was a sore subject for him, too. He wondered if Gladio felt responsible for not being able to protect Prompto. Though his paid job was to keep Noctis safe, he had also taken Ignis and Prompto under his surveillance.

“…Tell me exactly what happened, please…? What’s going on? Here in the palace I mean,” Noctis asked quietly. The belts were heavy on him and he just wanted to get off the bed.

“You’ve been sleeping for days again, having one of those seizures. You passed out in the car and didn’t wake up after that, no matter what we tried. You were kinda sleep walking I think, and attacked one of the palace staff out of the blue. You were growling like a wild beast and we really had to put our all into it to get you tamed with Cor. To be honest, I’ve never seen you or anyone like that. We had to restrain you for safety reasons and give you Holy shots to calm you down,” Gladio explained rather dully.

“Holy shots? But… that’s…” Noctis had hard time to follow Gladio. He tried to remember what Gladio had said about some dark mist.

Gladio turned his head away and sighed, his gaze softening a little.

“Holy repels darkness. It seems you took the news about Prompto harder than we thought. We called Lunafreya to see you, like I said, and her diagnosis as Oracle was that your inner darkness is getting too strong. She’s currently throwing something together with the palace’s magick experts to prevent such outbursts from happening. She promised to deliver it before she needs to head for Tenebrea for a work matter.”

“Inner darkness?” Noctis had even harder time understanding Gladio.

“We all have a light and dark side. Your dark is starting to overpower your light. According to Lunafreya, this is not that rare for people with as much magic power as you’ve got, ‘specially after they go through something traumatic. She said she’ll talk with you later about all that,” Gladio explained.

Noctis’s eyes widened slowly. 

“This… this happened when mom died, too,” he mumbled, suddenly remembering how he had been said to been under a darkness after her death. He hadn’t understood it back then, but as a teenager Noctis had slowly realized that something very bad had happened – that his darkness had overrun his light as a child with a lost mother – but no one wanted to talk about that. The whole matter was brushed off as if it hadn’t ever happened; and thus, Noctis also shut his mouth about it and never spoke of it again.

It was almost like Gladio read Noctis’s thoughts from his face, as he sighed and let his arms fall on his lap.

“This can’t be spread outside the palace. The nation will flip if they hear the heir can be possessed by darkness like that, not to mention Niflheim will be out of their minds when they find out the Prince has such a weakness. The marriage with Stella will become even riskier and Ignis worries that if we can’t calm your darkness down properly, Stella might refuse the proposal. That can’t happen, Noct. You know that. She has to be the one and if we screw this up…” Gladio said to Noctis, not finishing his sentence. He didn’t have to. Noctis already knew what was at stake. Noctis’s heart was wrenching tightly and he had hard time battling against his tears, against his disappointment.

It was like he had always feared; he wasn’t suitable for a king. That's how it had always felt to Noctis, and it pushed on him even heavier now, when he was being tied in his own home’s hospital's bed, accused of almost killing one of his servants, causing troubles to everyone around him and more importantly, getting the one of those he cared the most around him killed.

When the long-repressed sob broke from Noctis’s lips he thought that at least Prompto was now together with his mother and how she was most likely tending him as her own son, knowing from watching over him from the Realm of Eternity how dear Prompto was to Noctis. Prompto was in a good place. In a good care. He shouldn't cry for Prompto. 

“I’m so sorry,” he hissed at Gladio, not really knowing what exactly he was apologizing for. Or was he apologizing to Prompto?

“We will continue giving you Holy shots until a better solution has been reached. Till then we must keep you under constant watch. You can’t leave the bed until we are sure nothing bad will happen and the Holy shots start working. We haven’t been sure...You blacked out after the first shot,” Gladio continued telling Noctis how things were, ignoring Noctis’s poorly hidden sniffling.

“How long will that take?” Noctis whispered.

“The solution or till you can roam free?”

“Both.”

Gladio shifted in his chair, his expression uncomfortable.

“From what I overheard, the solution should be ready within a few days. I don’t know what it is, but I assume it needs to be something which is sure, safe and doesn’t bother you too much. Regarding the bed, if you are lucky, you get out within the next 12 hours.”

“…Will the staff person who almost died sue us?” Noctis had gotten another thing to be worried about into his mind.

“Beats me,” Gladio replied nonchalantly, but when he sensed Noctis wasn’t happy about the answer, he cleared his throat. “Even if they did, I think the palace would pay them silent.”

Noctis was quiet for a very, very long time, but then he turned his head completely away from Gladio, to the opposite direction from him. He closed his eyes with tears rolling silently on his cheeks.

“Everything’s shit,” he hissed bitterly, getting an agreeing grunt from Gladio.

“Sure is.”

“This mission was shit from the moment it started. Everything has gone wrong no matter how hard I have tried. I can’t even be happy about the marriage with Stella, as much as I do want to see this ridiculous, shitty quest to its end,” Noctis continued with a tight tone. 

“Don’t be too hard on yourself,” Gladio replied, sounding awfully a lot like Ignis. “Let’s get you back on your feet first and then continue to the next step. I’ve got the feeling the missus of Niflheim is in no hurry to get on with the marriage. After all, it will affect her, too. It’s not an easy thing to just… get married with the enemy nation’s crown heir. Not for either one of you. I guess she’s one of those persons who investigates first and so I’m sure won’t mind if others do the same.”

“She doesn’t know what happened,” Noctis pointed out, the image of Prompto appearing into his mind. He bit his lip so hard it bled, his eyes screwed shut.

“Ignis is dealing with the technical stuff,” Gladio replied after a hesitant pause. “Let’s see what he comes up with.”

Noctis wanted to say thank you, but he couldn’t. He knew if he’d open his mouth now, he would only sob Prompto’s name desperately.

He knew his path in this empty forest of grief would be long and hard to walk.

  
  


\--------------------------

 

After Noctis was released from his restraints and the hospital and magickal staff made sure to keep Noctis’s darkness in check with Holy shots, Noctis withdrew into his own room. Finally, in his own bed, Noctis’s mood and energy plummeted. Each passing hour hit Noctis harder with the fact Prompto wasn’t here anymore. 

In the end, Noctis lapsed into a state where he barely slept, ate or spoke to anyone, never leaving his room. He just kept fumbling with the bracelet Prompto had given to him and cried sorrowfully. Marriage or the Divine Mission was now the least things on his priority list. 

Everything had – indeed – happened too fast for the poor prince to comprehend.

 

\----------------------  
  


Noctis felt how something touched his bare upper arm. He was forced to walk in short sleeved shirts in case of an emergency shots. He stirred his tired eyes open. His mouth tasted awful.

Lunafreya had sat on the edge of his bed and her hand was on Noctis’s arm.

“Noctis,” she called him tenderly, “I’m sorry I couldn’t come to talk with you earlier and that this took longer than I thought. We poured everything into coming up with something which will help you,” she apologized.

Noctis pushed himself slowly up with his arms, sitting on his bed with his head hanging low. His eyes were burning.

“Good. I don’t like needles,” he tried to joke but his voice was nothing but a tiny croak.

“With this it’s possible to avoid the regular shots,” Lunafreya said and pulled something out behind her back. It was a white collar. 

“I know it looks strange, but since the darkness is affecting both your heart and head, we need to place something between them. This collar contains Holy, some protective stones and it’s also been blessed by your personal Astral. We needed some time to come up with a material solution that would be comfortable and sturdy enough. Unfortunately, we don’t know how strongly the darkness flows within you. It’s always possible that in the worst-case scenario you could break the protective item apart,” Luna kept explaining to Noctis, who stared at the collar with a slightly wrinkled nose and dull eyes.

“I accept it. Thank you and I’m sorry,” Noctis said, turning his head away from the collar. Luna just shook her head and reached out to put the collar on Noctis.

“You must wear this until your heart and mind are settled,” she said. “Your MP levels are extremely high, even for being a Lucis Caelum, which makes you both an easy target for darkness and  dangerous to everyone if that darkness overpowers you.”

Noctis didn’t know what to say to that. He pressed his chin down with a pained hiss.

“…I can’t do this, Luna,” he gritted his teeth, fingers curling tightly into fists in his lap, his eyes moist, “I’m not good enough to be a king. There are too many flaws in me and this mission---“

“Is not ever yet,” Luna cut him off sternly, peering to his face. “I know the Divine Mission must be the least thing on your mind now, Noctis, but you can’t give up. I believe in you. Everyone does. You have our support. It’s you who you need to support the most. That’s also part of being a king; loving your own self.”

“…Why are the Astrals tormenting me like this?” Noctis voice was still venomous, “Please, Luna. I need to know.”

Lunafreya looked sadly at Noctis, gently touching his shoulder.

“I’m afraid I can’t answer that, as much as I wish I could,” she said apologetically. “I will leave some incenses here which will help you to hear the Astrals better. When they are talking to you in your dreams, you must listen to them, because the message is important. Dreams are also the place where the darkness lurks. You can hear it there, too. Right now, you can’t listen to the darkness. You must open your ears for the messages from the Astrals. That’s what I pray you to do. Please, give the incenses a try. I will leave one burning before I leave.”

“What if I can’t hear them?” Noctis wasn’t convinced.

“You will, eventually. Don’t rush or be impatient. You need to rest. I know what happened, Noct. I’m sorry you have to go through this all but the mission must continue. You know how grave matter it is.”

Noctis’s chin dropped only lower, a pained hiss leaving his sneering lips. Lunafreya shifted closer to Noctis and pulled his head against her shoulder, her arms wrapping around Noctis.

“I apologize that I can’t stay here and continue aiding you... I must return to Tenebrae. I will pray for you,” she said softly, being genuinely sorry.

Noctis didn’t reply.

  
  
  
  



	17. Noctis's Last Question

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Noctis gets important news.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you kindly for your support, questions, thoughts and pondering <3 I love to read them and answer them. Remember that you are free to draw and create things from this fic freely; just drop me a note in Tumblr at niuniente if you do, so that I can see them :3
> 
> I'm also working with Promptis doujinshi and it's soon finished. I will let you know where to download it when next chapter updates.
> 
> Thank you Rynn again for the most marvelous work!
> 
> Edit: Edited some typos with help of Magal. Thank you for your help!

Something touched Noctis’s head softly. He hadn’t heard anyone coming into his bedroom. Slowly he opened his eyes, trying to focus his gaze again on something after staring forever at nothing. 

His half-closed, tired eyes met with shining, soft, golden brown eyes, which fought back tears.

Somehow Iris had appeared next to his bed.

“Hi, Noctis,” she whispered softly, her fingers carding tenderly through his hair. 

Noctis found it was difficult to concentrate on anything. He didn’t remember when he had fallen asleep the last time. His head felt heavy and under pressure, like being underwater. He wondered if that was an effect caused by his collar, as it was constantly emitting Holy. Noctis wasn’t sure if Iris was really there or not.

“Iris?” he asked, just to make sure he wasn’t seeing things. 

“How are you?” Iris asked, her voice gentle and compassionate. 

Noctis didn’t reply.

“...What day is it?” he croaked after a long time; Iris’s hand never stopping stroking his hair.

“Sunday,” she replied back, trying to smile a little. 

“…Already?” Noctis asked, his eyes still unfocused. 

Iris could tell Noctis had been crying a lot. She sniffled. She wanted to say she was sorry for what happened to Prompto, but she couldn’t bring herself to say it. She didn’t want to make Noctis suffer any more by bringing up Prompto’s name. Instead, she crawled into Noctis’s bed, settling herself next to him. She wrapped her arm around Noctis’s shoulders, lifting her legs over his thighs. Noctis clung tighter to her side in a fetal position, his arm tightly around Iris’s waist, head buried into her shoulder. A tired, sorrowful sob broke free from Noctis’s lips.

She hugged him back, the best way she could while lying on her back, crying quietly into his dark hair. 

”Why are you here?” Noctis asked between his short sobs and to Iris it sounded like he was wishing her to be Prompto instead.

“Gladdy told me what happened. The whole story,” Iris replied. “I wanted to come to see you but he didn’t let me come here until he was sure it was safe. I’ll go if you want me to.”

“No. Stay,” Noctis whispered and hugged her tighter, clinging to her warmness. It soothed him to have someone there for him for a moment, someone so sweet and kind as Iris, and pained him at the same time because her body’s warmth reminded him of Prompto; how warm his body had been next to him during the countless nights outs of their trip. 

“Okay,” Iris petted the back of his head. “You should eat. You’re getting thinner.”

Noctis didn’t reply to Iris. Despite Lunafreya’s promises, Noctis hadn’t heard or seen anything in his sleep, even though the incense was constantly burning in his room. The nightmare was gone now. He hadn’t seen it, not even once, after Prompto had disappeared. Noctis thought silently that perhaps he already was so deep in turmoil that not even nightmares could reach him. 

“Everything’s so dark,” Noctis mumbled out loud, not meaning to say that but it somehow just slipped out from him. His cheeks were wet from crying.

“This is Insomnia. It’s always dark here,” Iris smiled weakly into his hair. “Go to sleep, Noct. You need to rest.”

He did close his eyes. It wouldn’t hurt him to try to sleep. Maybe he could sleep a bit when someone was keeping him company and comforting him the same way Prompto had.

Maybe this time he would see the nightmare – see Prompto.

 

\----------------------------------

 

“Seems like you finally let Iris go to see Noct, eh Gladio?” Ignis asked from Gladio, who looked slightly troubled while walking next to Ignis, both of them heading down the palace’s long corridor.

“She kept pestering me. I knew I had to,” he grunted. “It should be safe now. Noct hasn’t had any hints of darkness in him since Lunafreya gave him that collar. I guess it’s working.”

“It’s good that they managed to come up with a solution. We would be in a big trouble without Miss Luna’s wisdom and help.”

“How’s the King doing? I haven’t seen him in the last few days at all,” Gladio asked with crossed arms.

Ignis smiled slightly.

“The King is naturally worried about Noctis. He has visited him a few times, as we know, but Noctis has always been asleep. He’s got responsibilities he can’t avoid and he must act balanced and calm for the Caelum’s reputation and to avoid any media ruckus. So far, the public only knows that Noctis’s mission is in hiatus due to an unfortunate accident and the young prince is resting,” he said.

“I can tell he’s worried, but somehow not as worried as I imagined,” Gladio muttered. “I mean, if Noctis was my son I’d be next to him 24/7.”

“I think the King is trying to stay composed for Noctis’s sake. Doesn’t help much if your safety net is as freaked out as you are,” Ignis offered. Gladio was quiet for a while but eventually agreed with him.

“Must be… Especially when Noct’s condition has just gotten worse,” Gladio turned to face Ignis, his eyes narrowed. 

“Is that why you finally let Iris meet him?” Ignis asked curiously.

“I reasoned he might need some comforting and well, Iris must be the best option now that Prompto’s not here and Luna’s out for work,” Gladio explained, the corner of his mouth twitching. 

“Let’s hope that Iris can soothe him at least a little bit,” Ignis agreed with a sad sigh.

 

\--------------------------------------------

 

Noctis stirred in his sleep underneath Iris’s arm, his lips parting and eyebrows twitching. Iris noticed Noctis coming to and she put her phone away, turning her head to Noctis’s side.

“Noct?” she asked quietly from him, touching his messy hair at back the of his neck softly with her fingers. 

Noctis stirred more, frowning. His nose wrinkled for a moment.

“...It’s okay. You can sleep more,” Iris said, a bit unsure if Noctis could hear her. She rubbed his back encouraging through his black t-shirt. 

Noctis huffed through his nostrils, shifting a bit. His nose wrinkled again and a muffled groan left his parted lips. His face looked bothered. 

“...Noct?” Iris’s eyebrows rose up and she took a better look at sleeping Noctis in her hold. 

Noctis suddenly cried out loudly and bolted up to sit with such a force he almost took poor Iris’s arm off, which had been wrapped around his shoulder. His eyes shot open and he was breathing heavily. He looked horrified.

“Prompto!” Noctis gasped as soon as he had sat up fully. 

Iris was struggling to sit up, too. 

“Noct, are you okay?” she asked, but didn’t receive any answer. An enraged expression was slowly appearing on Noctis’s face.

“...For fuck’s sake, that bitch!” Noctis suddenly yelled, scaring Iris to death with his loud cry. He stumbled out of the bed like driven by something and stormed out of the bedroom. Stormed off like never before, almost taking the door off of its hinges when he threw it open. 

Iris scrambled after him from the bed, hastily calling his name, but Noctis didn’t hear her. His heart was boiling with fury, fists tight and eyes flaming. He could feel his breathing becoming heavier, more ragged. He was making his way with an icy stare in his eyes throughout the palace; the few servants who happened to pop in front of him on the way hastily gave room to him, gasping when the Prince didn’t even see them. 

Noctis arrived before the tall doors which lead to the palace’s church and he pushed them open with all of his strength, almost breaking through them. With gritted teeth, he walked down the aisle towards the altar where a statue of Shiva was erected to honor and bless Noctis’s journey. When his mission was over, the statue would be decorated with flowers and diamonds to show gratitude towards the heir’s personal Astral.   
  
Noctis, however, wanted to give his honoring to her already, beforehand. He summoned up a great sword from his equipped weapons and with a growling, hatred filled cry he beheaded Shiva’s statue with one enraged swing. Shiva’s serene looking head was separated from her stony body instantly, and it rolled down the cold aisle with a loud clang. Noctis’s eyes were demonic with fury.

“What do you want from me?!” Noctis yelled from the bottom of his lungs, his whole body shaking with rage. “What the hell do you want from me, you bitch?!” he spat, his eyes tinting red.

The church was silent; completely, eerily quiet. No one answered Noctis's question. 

“I did everything you asked for! I gave my all! You give me a mission I can’t accomplish and you torment me with a nightmare, which turns out to be a vision of my best friend’s future! Why didn’t you tell me that before?! Why did you give me only vague hints?!” Noctis kept roaring with the sword in his hand, his twisted face yelling at the beheaded statue like it could talk back to him without its head. 

He had just had the nightmare again; and this time he saw the figure: It was Prompto. The moment Noctis had finally seen the figure sharply, he understood it had always been Prompto. Always. The sweet, innocent Prompto, who did his best to help Noctis out with his Divine Mission, was the one who had slipped into the darkness. Knowing the figure from his dream Noctis assumed that the woman’s voice in his dream belonged to Shiva. That horrible witch had taken Prompto from him. Taken him by force to the Astrals’ side. She had been hinting this with a vague nightmare but never spoke clearly about it. 

Noctis was furious. So furious his whole body was trembling, eyes full of burning fire. 

“I could have saved him! Prompto would be here now if only you let me know what would happen! I’d have kept a better eye on him!” Noctis let his rage explode even stronger, mightier, his eyes now completely red in color. “I would had never accepted this mission if I had known what it was going to cost me! You bitch! Bring Prompto back! You stole him from me and no bride, no throne, can make up for that. Nothing can replace Prompto and you knew it! You know me inside out and you didn’t do anything to stop Prompto from dying! You bitch, you filthy whore!!” Noctis yelled and raged with furious spats, completely blinded by his own inner turmoil.

He was ready to smash Shiva’s statue again with his sword, the big weapon rising above his head, but a sharp hit to his wrist made Noctis drop his weapon. In a second he had been whipped around and swung on the floor on his stomach, his hand twisted backwards and head pressed down the cold floor with a knee.

“Noctis!” he heard a commanding, angry male voice above him. 

It was Cor.

“What the hell is going on here?” Noctis heard another male voice. It was Gladio’s, accompanied with running steps. Noctis himself was too angry to see anything, too angry to care about anything. He was so full of rage and fury his body was slowly becoming numb.

He felt like killing someone.

“How dare that bitch, that divine piece of filth? How dare she?!” Noctis was shouting with a rage twisted face, his mouth almost foaming. His whole body was shaking underneath Cor’s hold. Black liquid started to ooze out from Noctis’s mouth.

“The darkness is returning.,” Cor replied sharply to Gladio, who had run to the scene as soon as he had heard there was something going on at the church. 

At the church’s doors, servants had gathered together, whispering and gasping to each other with horrified looks. Iris pushed herself through the staring mass of servants. Noctis was growling like an animal with his mouth open, his red gaze focused on a blind spot before him. He looked like ready to eat someone alive.

“Noct!” she called him, shocked, but Gladio, who had knelt to help Cor, turned his upper body around quickly.

“Stay back, Iris! No one’s allowed here!” he yelled, his hand signaling Iris to stop on her tracks this instant. She stopped like she had ran into a wall. Her expression was shocked. 

Noctis’s growling was increasing and everyone could see, even from the church doors, how black mist started to spread out of him, snaking around his down pressed body with black tentacles: how the black puddle under his face, seeping from his mouth, spread wider and wider. Cor shifted in his position, taking a better hold of Noctis, his knee pressing Noctis’s twisted face harder against the floor. Noctis protested the rough handling with an angry, throaty growl. His body was tense and trembling from head to toe.

“Your Highness, don’t go there!” Cor called Noctis, his face serious. The prince couldn’t hear him.

“We better take him to infirmary for a Holy Shot before it gets worse or the collar breaks,” Gladio spoke with a hasty tone, helping Cor to get Noctis's hands bound and get him up to his feet. The darkness was eating Noctis’s life force so rapidly that when the men managed to lift him up, his head was hanging freely, eyes still having the look of a killer. His breathing was raspy and hollow, sounding like it belonged to someone possessed. His mouth was still foaming with black, thick liquid, which drop on the floor in large puddles, staining the church’s holy ground.

Hastily Cor and Gladio rushed Noctis out from the church, holding him tightly just in case of another outburst of rage. Iris was following them with small sobs coming out from her lips. The news of Noctis’s rampage soon caught also the ears of Regis himself. The king arrived to the infirmary right after Noctis had gotten his shot of Holy magick to tone down his inner darkness. Ignis was there with Iris and Gladio, and Cor stood next to Noctis’s bed in an alerted state. 

“How is my son?” Regis asked worriedly with a shivering tone as soon as he stepped inside the room.

“Sleeping. We gave him an extra dose just in case. The collar needs to be checked. It’s likely that either the collar isn’t strong enough in the state it is now, or that the darkness has eaten Holy’s effect more rapidly than anyone thought,” Cor replied, his face stern. “Your Highness, did you already hear what happened?” 

“I was told there was something wrong with Noctis and that he apparently raged in the church,” Regis said, his eyes completely focused on Noctis’s face. Noctis looked innocent and tired on the bed. There was no sign of anything evil or dark in him. All the black mist and liquid were gone just as suddenly as they had appeared.

“I’m afraid it is worse than that, Your Highness. The prince beheaded his guardian Astral’s statue in his rampage,” Cor said with tight lips, earning a horrified gasp from Regis.

“Oh no, he did not…!” he muttered, shocked, getting only a compassionate nod from Cor. King Regis’s eyes moistened. “Oh, my dear son. What’s happening to you? You’ve always been so kind and respectful...” he spoke sadly to Noctis, petting his hair fatherly. 

“I’m also afraid we can’t let this slip, whether it was caused by Noctis’s darkness or not,” Cor mumbled. Everyone’s face dropped at his comment. 

Regis sat next to Noctis’s bedside in a complete silence for a good while.

“... I agree. After all, harming an Astral statue, especially your personal one, is sacrilege. Even if it is my son, we need to follow up with consequences,” Regis finally spoke, his tone shaky and hurt. 

“Taken in the Prince’s condition, I’d suggested only a house arrest, if possible,” Cor continued.

“...Yes. Yes, that will do. We need to keep this hidden from the public, though, and make sure no one in the palace leaks this to the public. Noctis has suffered enough and is still recovering. Any extra burden will only make Noctis slip deeper into this hell,” Regis informed everyone. “We can’t allow that to happen. Knowing how much MP he possesses, we have no idea how strong he can become if he falls too deep into the darkness.”

“I will give an official warning to everyone. Anyone who is caught talking to the public about what happened today will be fired instantly and made sure they have hell lot of a hard time getting a new job,” Cor lifted his head up, his posture straightening. “I will make the announcement now.”

“…I must come with you. He is my son and anything that affects him is also my responsibility. We also need to ask Lunafreya to perform a proper apology ritual as soon as she returns from Tenebrae, and also aid Noctis to offer his remorse for Shiva. Let us pray that the Goddess has an understanding heart and she won’t punish any of us for what Noctis did,” Regis said. He stood up slowly, meeting eye to eye with Cor.

“Should we ask the oracle to return earlier?” Cor asked from Regis, who shook his head.

“It would be better to not burden Lunafreya with this. It’s important for her to concentrate on her tasks in Tenebrae in peace. It’s not more than a few days until she returns. We’ll manage.” Then he took a look at everyone in the room. “Please, would someone tell me what happened? What caused this outburst?”

“I--- I’m not sure,” Iris sobbed from near the door, wiping her eyes. “He was sleeping and suddenly bounced up, cursed and stormed out. Noctis… He was alright when I went to see him. I didn’t see any signs of darkness in him; just tiredness and that he had cried recently,” Iris explained. Gladio went to her and pressed her tightly against his side.

“And there were no others in the room?” Cor asked for Regis.

“No, just us.”

“Did anyone actually caught what happened in the church beside Noctis violating the statue?” Regis asked both from Cor and Gladio.

Cor’s lips tightened.

“He was cursing Shiva and yelling at her, but I don’t know what happened or what did he do. The statue was broken when I got there. I apologize I couldn’t stop the Prince earlier,” Cor said and his head bowed low in apology. 

Regis’s hand landed on his shoulder, his eyes smiling at Cor compassionately.

“You did what you could, Cor. Thank you for stopping my son. You too, Gladiolus. Without you two Noctis might have rampaged even more and not to mention possibly harming also other Astrals’ holy relics. I… I don’t want to admit this out loud but he might have hurt palace’s staff, too.”

Ignis cleared his throat quickly.

“Your Highness Regis. There’s also another thing on top of the statue shaming; Noctis violated the rules of Divine Mission by entering the church before the Mission was finished. We know he can enter the church only for a Divine Question or for the final ceremony to close the Mission after its goal has been achieved,” Ignis said with a worried tone, earning a saddened look from everyone in the room.

“...Does this mean the Divine Mission has failed now?” Gladio asked, unsure.

Everyone took a quiet look at each other. No one dared to speak.

“...I suspect that is now in the hands of Shiva herself. We may try to appeal to her grace and understanding after the Apology Ceremony. Her word, her decision, will be the one which settles Noctis’s destiny now. There’s nothing we can do anymore, not after what Noctis did,” Regis said, his hand coming down to pat Noctis’s head. “My poor son... I never knew your mission would turn out to be this difficult,” he whispered.

“Your Highness... With all due respect the prince, but I think it would be wise to start to make plans for who will follow you to the throne if Noctis cannot do it,” Cor said. “After what happened today it’s possible Noctis has enraged Shiva and she will not recognize him as the rightful heir of Lucis anymore, even should he find the Divine Partner after his house arrest. The darkness in him is something that seems getting stronger. It’s always possible Shiva won’t bless a darkened heir.”

“It’s something we must accept, if Noctis turns out to be unfit for the throne. We cannot go against the will of the Astrals,” Regis said forlornly. It was obvious that in his heart, Regis disagreed with the idea that Noctis couldn’t inherit his crown.

With that, Cor and Regis left the room to give a warning to the palace staff about what would happen if little birds sang about Noctis’s possible failure to the public. Nothing would be given to the public from now on until the Divine Mission would been finished - failure or not. Right now, any news of Divine Mission would be a hit from the media, especially since Noctis had just lost Prompto and was still recovering. 

Gladio, Ignis and Iris stayed behind in the hospital room, all of them gathered around Noctis’s bed. Iris was hugging sleeping Noctis and weeping into his neck.

“The Astrals are so unfair to Noctis,” she whispered sadly between her sobs, “Why did they take Prompto away from us? Away from Noctis? Why I couldn’t have been the one? All of this could have been avoided if only I---” her voice broke, her slim shoulders trembling. Gladio’s warm hand rubbed her upper back comforting. He didn’t have any words to offer his sister; his expression was as sad as Iris’s quiet sobs were.

“All this in vain if Noct can’t get the throne...” Ignis accompanied Iris sadly. 

“You think it will happen?” Gladio asked, his expression sullen.

Ignis sighed, adjusting his glasses before crossing his arms over his chest.

“The answer from Shiva foretold that Noctis would be king. She never referred to him as a prince. However, since the question was asked, things have changed. It is possible Shiva will not permit Noctis to take the throne. After all, we have no idea if  the Divine Answers are fixed or if the Fate is something that can change.”

“I kinda get her. I’d be miffed, too. But still, this is insane,” Gladio gritted his teeth. “First a vague mission, then a riddle answer, then that tormenting nightmare and then a possible marriage with the enemy princess - and on top of that the loss of Prompto for no reason. No wonder if the darkness starts to take the better of you.”

“Speaking of Prompto; we still need to contact his parents for a formal condolence message. I haven’t been able to reach them yet,” Ignis said.

No one said anything after that. Iris cried more openly into sleeping Noctis’s neck after Prompto’s name was mentioned.

Noctis didn’t wake up for the rest of the day but slept all the way through the night without any incidents. 

 

\----------------

 

“By the Astrals, what's happened here?” Lunafreya gasped, horrified, when she arrived to the church after getting back from Tenebrae. Shiva’s statue was still standing in its honorable place, even though it was beheaded. No one had dared to touch it after Noctis’s onslaught. 

“Like we said; Noctis did this. All because of Prompto, apparently,” Ignis said, Cor and King Regis following him.

“All this? On his own?” Lunafreya had walked to Shiva’s broken statue, caressing its cool surface slowly. Her face was dark. “My god… Didn’t the collar work?”

“We don’t know what happened. The magick department added more Holy into it, and so far things have been calm, but they couldn’t say what was wrong with it without your help. They suspected the Holy levels were too low for someone as magickally powerful as Noctis.”

“I will meet with the department immediately. This is… this is unheard of in the history of Caelum’s bloodline,” Lunafreya replied sharply, but her face was pale.

“You must understand now why we have to perform the Apology Ceremony as soon as possible to make Noctis repay his disrespect to his personal Astral,” King Regis spoke. He looked fragile, weakened by the worry of Noctis and the Lucis’s future. His condition had declined dramatically after Noctis’s stunt. Cor stood tall next to Regis, ready to aid the king if he needed any help.

“... I understand. I will ready the ceremony immediately. Please bring Noctis here and tell him we will start immediately,” Lunafreya turned to face Ignis. Ignis nodded.

“Would it be possible to have a prayer in Prompto’s memory at the same time?” Ignis asked, unsure. Lunafreya was quiet for a moment, her eyes becoming distant and sad.

“...I think it’s possible,” she said.

Noctis was brought to the church by Cor, Gladio and Ignis, while Lunafreya got the church ready for the ceremony. He arrived there looking nothing but sour and not even seeing Lunafreya made his expression change. Lunafreya stepped down from the altar and placed a red scarf loosely on Noctis’s shoulder, as a sign that blood had been spilled by his hands. Harming an Astral relic was counted as literally making that specific Astral bleed. She whirled an incense around Noctis, waving its smoke over his head and returned then up to the altar, face towards the tall painting. Her hands pressed around her trident, ready to start the ritual.

“I’m not showing any respect to any of the Astrals until I have gotten an answer to my final Question,” Noctis growled loudly standing boisterously in front of the altar, pointing at the painting of all the Astrals behind Lunafreya with his index finger. Everyone gasped in shock.

Lunafreya took a hold of her trident with both hands, her face shocked.

“Noctis, you can’t do that!” she breathed out, her eyebrows twisting upwards.

“I can and I will. I will not show respect to Shiva or anyone else until I’m told what’s the meaning of this shit. A mission of love? A mission to understand love? To find a partner to rule Lucis with me? My ass!” he roared and Lunafreya’s face became more scared. 

Cor was standing nearby behind Noctis, his hand above his sword’s hilt. 

“Lower your voice, Your Highness,” he commanded but Noctis didn’t hear.

“So, Luna; Where is Prompto? Why was he taken away?” Noctis spat, his eyes narrow. “Answer me, Shiva! I won’t bow before you until you give me my answer!”

“Noctis, this is an Apology Ceremony!” Cor roared. 

“It’s okay!” Luna hastily stopped Cor, seemingly sensing that things would turn out only to worse if she didn’t follow Noctis’s request. “If Noctis has got one Divine Question left, he has all the rights to use it at any time. We can try to ask Shiva, but I warn you, Noctis; she might not answer you until you have given your apology and showed respect to her.”

“...Then I’ll do it. As long as I can find out why Prompto was taken away,” Noctis hissed.

Ignis stepped hastily nearer to Noctis, his expression worried.

“Noct, I understand Prompto is important to you, but think about the mission. We might need the question later,” he offered in a hasty whisper. Noctis only turned to look at Ignis over his shoulder, his eyes empty.

“It doesn’t matter anymore. I’ve already fucked things up; Shiva might not even allow me to the throne, even if we found my wife. I know what I have done and where it has placed me,” Noctis replied with as monotonous tone, his eyes sad. “I need to know, Ignis.”

“…Very well. I understand,” Ignis bowed his head as a sign of respect.

“Then we’ll start with the Divine Question. I’ll summon Shiva here and we continue from that but first, Noctis; your offering in exchange of the answer,” Lunafreya took a look at Noctis from the altar, earning a sharp glare.

“Ignis, I need your help with the offering,” Noctis turned to look at Ignis over his shoulder. “Let me borrow your dagger.”

“An item coming from me to you and then to Shiva isn’t a proper offering…” Ignis muttered worryingly under his breath, but did conjure his dagger for Noctis.

“You can keep your weapon,” Noctis soothed him with a dry voice, still clearly pissed at everything, “I know why Cor is here. I don’t dare to give him any chance of suspicion so I won’t handle any weapon in here. I need you, Ignis, to cut a back of my hand with your dagger.”

“That’s—“ Ignis’s eye widened, but Noctis gave him a sad, sort of begging look.

“I have nothing else to give her right now. I want to show her how much this question and the answer to it mean to me.”

Ignis couldn’t resist Noctis’s command. He walked with Noctis up to the altar to in front of Lunafreya and quickly Ignis slashed a cut on Noctis’s hand. Quietly Noctis hold his hand up in the air, letting his fresh blood drop on the beautiful altar’s surface, staining it with red. After the offering had been made, Noctis accepted Ignis’s help as he tied Noctis’s hand with a small scarf – Noctis had no idea where Ignis had pulled that out. 

As Ignis retreated back to his place, Noctis turned with his head held high to face Shiva.

“I, Noctis Lucis Caelum, the heir to Lucis’s throne, salute you Shiva; The Goddess of Ice and Clarity, One of the Unearthly Mothers to us all and The Sister of Mine,” Noctis started the formal greeting, doing his best not to sneer at the divine tormentor, “I have arrived to seek your wisdom to aid me on my quest to the throne. I need to know why Prompto was taken away? There was no need to sacrifice him. I fail to see any point in a mission which costs someone very dear to me,” he hissed with a pained frown, his eyes closing tightly. Noctis’s chin dropped, his hands squeezing into fists.

“That is my final question.”

Immediately Shiva’s voice filled the church, echoing unearthly around everyone. She spoke with a warm tone and Noctis waited for the answer, his body shaking. He wanted to know and at the same time he was horribly afraid of the answer. Prompto’s bracelet, which he had given to him on his birthday, felt heavy around Noctis’s wrist. He hadn’t taken it off since the day Prompto gave it to him.

Lunafreaya opened her eyes after Shiva had stopped speaking.

“Hear me, the young prince of Lucis, for you have learned a lot more than you give yourself credit for. Your friend is being borrowed from you, for this is a must for the prince of Lucis to wake up,” Lunafreya translated the message, her eyes closing again.

Noctis's head shot up, eyes flashing.

“Borrowed?” he hissed with a broken tone. His teeth gritted. “What kind of an answer is that?! You can’t just borrow someone! They are either here or there, living or dead!” Noctis spat angrily.

Shiva spoke again, her voice still loving and motherly. Noctis waited with a heaving chest her words from Luna. He could sense Cor’s stare on his back. 

“The answer has been given to you, the young prince of Lucis, for I already have spoken to you once and I do not wish to repeat myself,” were Shiva’s words. 

Noctis’s eyes burned with angry tears.

“I don’t understand what that means!” he yelled, breaking into raging tears, “You speak in riddles, give me only vague hints. I demand answers!”

He could feel how Shiva was smiling at him softly, tenderly, like a mother to child having a temper tantrum. She didn’t say anything more. Lunafreya took a deep, deep breath and turned her attention to Noctis.

“Shiva, your personal Astral, has spoken, and she’s not angry with you. Yet, we need to perform the Apology ritual, not only for you but for the nation,” she said to Noctis, who was staring absently before him, tears running down his boggled face.

“I demand a proper answer, not any vague shit!” Noctis yelled, enraged, and this time it was Lunafreya, not Cor, who stopped him.

“Noctis!” she spat his name with a voice no one had ever heard coming from her mouth. “You have been given your answer. Do not make this any more difficult to yourself or for the others. You are lucky that Shiva forgave you already and doesn’t demand the Apology ritual in order to calm her mind, but we’re performing it to respect her. Enraging your personal Astral can lead to a disaster for the whole Lucis. Don’t forget that you are the heir, Noctis. You can’t act like a spoiled brat during your Divine Mission.”

Noctis was shocked at Lunafreya’s choice of words describing him. He opened his mouth, lips moving but no words were coming out. He had never expected Luna to go against him like this. 

“Listen, Noctis. Shiva said that Prompto is being borrowed. Isn’t that the answer you wanted?” Luna calmed down from her strict sisterly scolding and looked down at Noctis.

“…He’s being borrowed...” Noctis muttered, finally registering Shiva’s answer. “…Does... does that mean Prompto will come back?” he took a look at Luna, begging for an answer. Luna smiled at him.

“Aren’t borrowed things usually returned?” she offered softly.

Streams of blinding tears spread across Noctis's cheeks, and he blinked to chase them away.

“...Prompto’s coming back...?” he whispered, his lips quivering. Noctis buried his face into his hands, breaking into a cry, dropping down on his knees as his legs gave in. Ignis was in next to Noctis at once.

Noctis was crying so loudly the whole church was filled with his sobs. He wiped his eyes with the back of his palms.

“Prompto’s not dead,” Noctis hiccuped, earning a brotherly hug from Ignis, who was smiling widely, as well as everyone else. Noctis dared to laugh.

“Prompto will come back!” he rejoiced looking at Ignis with his tear-filled eyes. Ignis wiped openly sobbing Noctis’s face with his own sleeve.

“I heard that. Better to get a party ready for him, yes?” Ignis offered, earning a tight hug from Noctis, who was both crying and laughing at the same time.

“Shiva requests that the Apology Ceremony will be held with Noctis and Cor alone; Cor staying here for safety reasons,” Lunafreya spoke at the men before him. Noctis teetered on his feet with help of Ignis.

“I’ll do that. If Prompto is seriously returning from wherever he is, I will apologize,” Noctis agreed. “To show that I really mean that I’m sorry, I’ll come to pray here every day for the next two weeks.” 

Lunafreya had nothing against Noctis’s wish to atone for his bad behavior to Shiva like that. Whatever soothed Noctis's mind would be alright with Lunafreya as an Oracle.

Ignis and Gladio exited the church at Lunafreya’s command. A huge sigh of relief leaving Gladio when the church door closed behind them.

“I can’t believe this. Prompto’s coming back,” he shook his head, his eyes shimmering with hidden tears.

“Very unusual news, but I guess even Astrals have their gimmicks,” Ignis was also smiling lightly.

“I wonder where Prompto went...? Should we go looking for him?” Gladio asked curiously.

Ignis crossed his arms and rubbed his chin, his frown deepening slightly in a thought. 

“Sadly, Shiva didn’t say that, but she said Prompto was borrowed so that Noctis could wake up....” he muttered.

Gladio pursed his lips, his nose wrinkling.

“That can’t mean Noctis’s darker side awakening. Doesn’t make any sense for the king to be darkened. That would serve no one, not us mortals or the Astrals,” he said with hands on his hips.

Ignis was tapping his lips, thinking. He hummed and looked extremely concentrated, walking a few steps further away from Gladio. Then he stopped, his head rising up slowly.

“…It couldn’t be...” he half-gasped, standing still like a statue.

“What?” Gladio had closed the gap between them, standing now next to Ignis and looking at his face curiously.

Ignis paled, his hands falling to his sides.

“What do we know about Prompto? About his past?” Ignis asked from Gladio, taking him off-guards.

“Eh, not much, I guess? At least I don’t. I know he lives with his parents, who are always busy with work,” Gladio replied.

Ignis’s eyes narrowed.

“I asked palace's information team to find me Prompto’s home address so that we could inform his parents of his death. I didn’t tell this to anyone, as I thought it was not that important, but Prompto’s living alone. Not with his parents. Apparently, that has been going on for years already. I just heard about it a few days ago.”

“So, he’s been lying to us?” Gladio frowned, cocking his eyebrow. 

“Seems so,” Ignis hummed.

“Why would he do that?” Gladio asked, his lips tightening.

“If you need to lie, it means there’s something you need to hide,” Ignis replied with a hiss.

Gladio’s frow deepened.

“Are you suggesting Prompto has something to hide from us?” 

“Possibly. Let me run a few things, just to make sure. Let’s talk more about it later, after I have gathered enough information and when Noct is free, too. Let’s meet in his room; let’s say around 11pm. I think I should manage to get ready by then.”

“You sound serious,” Gladio pointed out, earning a hum from Ignis.

“I’m afraid this is very serious - but we’ll discuss that later. It won’t take long from me to find whatever info I need when I know what I’m looking for,” he promised, leaving Gladio behind with quick steps.

  
\--------------------------------------  
  


Noctis had been brought into his bedroom at 10:55pm to hear what Ignis had cooked up this time. He was feeling a lot better now when he knew Prompto would return - like Lunafreya had said, borrowed things were usually returned - but it bothered him that he didn’t know where Prompto was or when he would return. He hoped that Ignis would have found more info about that particular subject. 

Iris was sitting next to Noctis on his bed, holding his hand with encouragingly. She was also happy to hear Prompto wasn’t permanently lost, but only borrowed for some reason. Noctis and Iris had tried to figure out what Shiva’s message about Noctis having to ‘wake up’ meant. Shiva had accepted Noctis’s temper tantrum lovingly, like a read Goddess Mother - but so far, they hadn’t made any progress with her new answer. Lunafreya had told them that she couldn’t be of any more help to Noctis with it, either. After the Ceremony, Lunafreya had withdrawn to create a new, stronger collar for Noctis. He had been given, by Noctis’s own request, one more Holy shot, especially since Iris had promised to stay behind with him until Ignis's arrival.

Precisely at 11pm, Ignis appeared with piles of files in hand. Noctis head shot up as soon as he saw him.

“Any news?” Gladio asked from his position in the corner of the room.

Ignis’s face was dead serious. He took a position in the middle of the room and cleared his throat.

“I must say I have more news to you than you can perhaps bear,” he started, looking somewhat unsure of where to start. “I worked the whole day with the investigation team and also got help from Miss Stella; she genuinely wanted to help Noctis out. Apparently, she’s got a good heart despite her political position being opposing to us.”

“Stella was nice,” Noctis agreed with a nod. He could imagine himself marrying her, and knowing now that she had wanted to help him with the case of his lost best friend, Noctis felt himself very thankful for Stella; thankful and happy that Stella had got his back. Noctis made a mental note to thank her properly for the help.

“Wait, wait; you asked help from Niflheim? Wasn’t this about Prompto?” Gladio waved his hands, looking surprised.

“Well, this is,” Ignis replied shortly. Noctis gasped.

“Is Prompto in Niflheim?” he stuttered. He was ready to go wherever Prompto was, to get him back home.

“Not anymore,” Ignis said, earning surprised huhs from everyone. He shifted his weight to another leg and started to speak before anyone could ask anything.

“We found some very interesting information regarding Prompto. He’s been living alone since he was twelve, despite always telling us he's got parents who are busy. Prompto did have parents, but they both were killed in a car accident. Apparently, no one really missed Prompto, so he’s been taking care of himself since then.”

“What? Without a legal guardian? How’s that possible?” Gladio frowned.

“Prompto’s grandmother - his mother’s mother, the only grandparent alive - is marked here as a legal guardian, but when I contacted her she said she wanted nothing to do with that ‘messed up being’. Directly quoted, she said; ‘I never understood why my daughter wanted that monster’,” Ignis read from his papers while holding his glasses’ frame. “She’s been sending money to Prompto and abiding by legal bindings, but has refused to look after him properly. Since Prompto turned 18 and became legally an adult, she cut all ties to him. I don’t know how Prompto has managed to survive since then, but that is not our subject. Not right now anyway.”

“Mo--Monster?” Noctis didn’t follow Ignis at all. His heart was hurting but so was also his hand because Iris was squeezing it so tightly; her eyes were utterly worried. 

“So, you say Prompto is an abandoned orphan?” Iris asked sadly.

“No wonder he never told us...” Gladio agreed, his face stern.

“...It’s worse than that,” Ignis sighed. “His parents were adoptive parents. I went to look for his birth certification but he doesn't have any Lucian one. He is, however, on a paper documenting a group of refugees from Niflheim. He was only a toddler back when he was marked on these documents.”

“Oh god, is Prompto a war orphan, too?!” Noctis whined, his chest hurting even more.

“He’s from Niflheim?” Gladio accompanied Noctis with questions.

“Yes, and to cut the chase, the refugee group which arrived to Lucis back when Prompto was small was a group of people who had been used for human experiments in Niflheim, by its own army,” Ignis spoke with a grave tone.

Noctis, Gladio and Iris paled instantly.

“Pro---Prompto’s been experimented on?” Noctis stuttered, unable to process what that truly meant. All this information was making his head spin. Iris’s grip on his hand just tightened.

“Yes,” Ignis replied shortly.

Gladio jumped up from his chair, his teeth gritting.

“Nifs don’t do any other human experiments than MTs,” he growled, his hands squeezing into fists.

“Yes, human experiments with daemon genes. All the refugees coming here were half-daemons from Niflheim...including Prompto,” Ignis said. 

Noctis started to tear up again. He jumped out of his seat, letting go of Iris’s hand.

“Prompto’s not a daemon!” he hissed angrily, “Prompto’s the kindest being on this planet! He wouldn’t hurt a fly!”

“I agree with Noct,” Iris whimpered from the bedside. 

“Trust me; I found it difficult to come to terms with as well. But with all this evidence, there’s no denying it,” Ignis waved the papers in his hands. 

Noctis snatched them from Ignis and went hastily through them. There were Lucian reports of arriving refugees, Niflheimian reports from Stella and Prompto’s personal information, with no Lucian birth certification. 

Noctis’s throat tightened, his hands shaking.

“This can’t be...!” he growled, his eyes on the papers.

“Believe me, Your Highness. I’m not making this up. Even a genius like me wouldn’t be able to come up with this strong a lie,” Ignis told to Noctis.

Noctis remained silent, squeezing the files in his hand frantically and going through them; file after file after file. He found a photo of the refugees, all of them listed down for Insomnia’s authorities. There was a small child, which looked much like Prompto.

Noctis’s throat closed up, feeling choked.

“Remember the Terminus bushes? Prompto had a cake made from them and got an upset stomach. He told that he was uneasy at the Lapis manor – famous for their Terminus bushes - feeling like he’d want to run away and never return. He also experienced an allergic reaction from Terminus branches. Hardly anyone is allergic to the Terminus plant anyway; which leads me to think...” Ignis trailed off, looking rather sad.

“The daemon repellents,” Gladio said quietly.

Noctis was staring in front of him, his eyes stony and cold.

“...The hallucinations from the Holy Bomb...” he muttered with a shaking tone.

“Yes. I believe he was reliving the horrible things done to him back in Niflheim when he was a child - not to mention daemons can’t take holy magick well, as it rebels against their natural darkness,” Ignis whispered, his head bowing down. 

“Who can do such a thing to an innocent child?” Gladio was raging, clearly furious for Prompto. 

“Niflheim is a twisted place I’m afraid... And it used to be a lot more sinister than it is today,” Ignis only said. 

“Oh, Prompto...! What have you gone through?” Noctis sobbed. He couldn’t suppress that tiny voice coming out from him. His heart was aching like never before. He bent his neck forward, swallowing.

“Why didn’t he tell me?” he cried, dismayed with his head pressed to his chest. “I could have protected Prompto better if I knew. I wouldn’t have made him go to Nilfheim with us if I knew.”

“Speaking of Prompto... There’s something else that crossed my mind today...” Ignis licked his lips, gesturing Gladio and Noctis to sit down. He took the files from Noctis, nodding as a sign that Noctis could read them more later.

Noctis sat back on the bed next to Iris, who was weeping sadly after hearing about Prompto’s past. Noctis curled her up under one of his arms, giving her upper arm a comforting rub. He accepted the small tissue from Iris and wiped his eyes. He was still tearing up.

Everyone waited for Ignis to continue. He took a straighter posture, looking directly at Noctis.

“I went through everything we have learned from Shiva regarding your Divine mission. I got a chilling feeling that we may have overlooked something important,” Ignis said.

“And?” Noctis asked, blowing his nose.

“Fair and lithe of frame, with hair of gold   
Something hidden, which has not been foretold   
Next to the King, the source of disgrace   
For people so hard to face   
  
Further way, the Five will lead   
Blooming out, the true love’s seed   
As only in the dark will the one see   
And the heart’s calling to truly heed   
  
Hard may this journey be   
Much harder for the King than the Lover, indeed   
Tears, joys and the distance   
At the Kings’ love’s and passion’s great assistance”

 

Ignis read the riddle, which he had memorized, out loud. Then he took a serious look at Noctis.

“I’m going to be very direct and honest with you, Noctis. I think Shiva is speaking of Prompto.”

“Prompto?!” everyone gasped out loud. Noctis’s mouth hung open.

“Wh-why-why do you think that? It doesn’t make sense,” he stuttered, gesturing the air with his free hand.

“Doesn’t it? The riddle talks about a lithe, fair, blond person, which has got something hidden. This knowledge, this partner, will not be received well because the partner is a disgrace to the king and Lucis. What would be more disgraceful to a king than have a half-daemon, human experiment from Niflheim, as his Divine partner? And also, a man? People are expecting Noctis to marry a woman,” Ignis explained without batting an eye. 

“But it couldn’t be Prompto...could it?” Gladio was as shocked of the news as Noctis was.

“After searching for a while I realized one thing; Shiva speaks only about a ‘Divine Partner’. Their gender is never revealed. We have assumed we’re looking for a wife but we made that part up on our own,” Ignis replied to Gladio, taking him aback.

Everyone in the room paled. Noctis’s lips parted and he kept staring at distance, his eyes unfocused.

“Furthermore, if I may, Noct; Five will lead towards the love, as only in the darkness can the true love bloom and the king can hear its calling,” Ignis started. “There were five Behemoths, which took Prompto. You’ve been having nightmares of a figure in a darkness, which turned out to be Prompto when you were finally able to hear Shiva with the help of Lunafreya’s incenses. You, Noctis, are slipping to darkness yourself now, too, and isn’t that because you miss Prompto? Because you’d do anything for him?” Ignis asked.

Noctis blushed rapidly, swallowing visibly.

“Yeah, but...” he began, but Ignis cut him short.

“You’d do anything for Prompto, like a lover? You’ve been mourning Prompto like a widow. Don’t tell me you don’t have feelings for Prompto. I’ve been blind not to see it earlier, but now when I look back at our travels, I can definitely see it,” Ignis said, earning only a deeper blush from Noctis.

“Yeah... I can see it, too, now that you mention it. I was always a bit skeptical of the closeness between you two, but I let it slide,” Gladio’s head turned slowly to blushed Noctis’s side. “Besides, we heard the Divine Missus; Prompto was borrowed so that the blind prince would finally see.”

“It does go together with the darkness where the true love is realized,” Ignis noted agreeing with Gladio, “Not to mention that the journey was said to be harder for the king than for the lover. Haven’t you been nothing but tormented throughout this Divine Mission, Noct?”

Noctis was being bombarded both with questions and revelations so quickly and suddenly that his head was spinning. He opened his mouth but couldn’t say anything for a while. He was blushing all the way to his ears.

“Well we aah…I...we might have kissed….and such...” Noctis blabbered shyly, earning a curious look both from Ignis and Gladio.

“’And such’?” Gladio repeated, his expression turning mischievous. Noctis straightened hastily his posture, turning his head away from Gladio.

“And such,” he replied, not going into any details, but his awkward posture and ashamed look all over his face told everyone in the room what was going on.

“Aaargh, why didn’t you say so earlier?!” Gladio was groaning and moaning, his arms flipping in the air.

“I didn’t think it was anything serious! Just blowing off some steam! We weren’t, like, sleeping with each other or anything like that!” Noctis yelped back at Gladio, reddening when Gladio’s head cocked to his side, his eyes narrowing.

“’Blowing off some steam?” he repeated Noctis’s words, silencing him completely. Noctis couldn’t find any words to defend himself. 

Iris was the only one really, honestly, smiling in the room. He eyes were like two stars.

“Oh, Noct! I’m so happy for you! I’m so happy you found your Divine Partner and that it’s Prompto! We can be the big happy family after all!” she was joyful, hugging Noctis and giving his cheek a kiss.

Noctis stammered with his words.

“No, no, no one has said it’s definitely Prompto!” Noctis declared, earning a grunt from Gladio.

“Oh, no, you just happened to make out with him, eh? Is that what you meant? That best friends just make out with each other out of the blue? Do you see me and Ignis making out? Or me and Cor?” Gladio was whole-heartely enjoying Noctis’s public torment, watching how all possible colors of red appeared on Noctis’s face, his face getting miffed. 

“Gladdy!” Iris gasped, her hands protectively around Noctis’s shoulders.

“...Rebelling against Prompto being the one goes well with the notion that the king must learn to love his partner,” Ignis noted playfully, secretly also enjoying Noctis trying to moderate his expressions.

“But I do love him!” Noctis defended himself, drawing his hands up to his mouth as soon as the angry back talking had left him. He looked so ashamed, like wishing the bed would swallow him whole to hide him from the teasing smiles of Ignis and Gladio. “I... I... I mean I have feelings for him... Like in... eeh... an awkward way? I’m not really into guys...” Noctis tried, but no one listened.

“Great. How we tell to the king? We’ve been going around the places for almost two years and Mister Right One has been with us the whole time,” Gladio smirked at Ignis, ignoring Noctis completely.

“We should have figured out earlier that Shiva never gave a gender for the partner and that Noctis was fooling around with his best friend. Guess The Snapshot wasn’t wrong after all,” Ignis was also grinning impishly, his face modest despite his smirk. “Though for our defense, I must say waiting for a wife instead of a husband was very logical, taken in the traditions and how the heir is always supposed to have an offspring.”

“Oh, there’s going to be wedding after all! Noct, can I be the bridesmaid?” Iris was still hugging Noctis, her joy never leaving her face or eyes. 

“Eh... ah... I guess?” Noctis wasn’t sure what he should have replied to Iris, completely missing the point they were already planning to wed him with Prompto.

“First, we must wait for Prompto to return. Let’s hope that now, when we have apparently finally solved the riddle and figured out the true partner - and Noct don’t even try to say it’s not Prompto after making out and flirting with him behind our backs, I know you don’t do things like that unless you are serious about it - that Shiva returns Prompto soon, “ Ignis said.

Noctis still couldn’t believe Prompto would be his Divine Partner. With the long trip, he had learned to always suspect the partner choices, just in case it would be the wrong one and he’d end up losing the crown because of it.

Yet, when he thought about Prompto, thought how he would return someday, his chest filled with warmth and joy. He missed Prompto dearly. Missed his kisses, his warmth, his embraces. His jokes and laughter and freckles. His beautiful body and even more beautiful personality. How much he had yearned Prompto to be back. How much he had prayed that Prompto would still be alive, sleeping next to him whenever Noctis woke up - and now it seemed he was supposed to live the rest of his life with Prompto.

Noctis curled into a ball over his legs, shaking.

“I’m so happy Prompto’s alive,” he sobbed, bursting into howling but happy tears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Something about the MT human experiment: In this story, Nifs do human experiments using daemon genes and results of those experiments are called MTs. This was the original Versus concept with Prompto, who was experimented on by his own father (Verstael, the scientist of Nilfheim), who then abandoned Prompto because his experiment failed.


	18. Options at hand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Noctis's heart is troubled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update is finally here! Rynn was pretty much getting killed with all her school demands (YOU CAN DO IT RYNN!) so Nosirnosur stepped in to help me out with this chapter yesterday. Nosirnosur will also give future chapters a final check-up for missed grammar and typos so that the fic stays as enjoyable as possible despite my non-native English skills haha. Thank you Nosirnosur!
> 
> This delay was actually good as my health was acting up whole May (rare food allergy). I haven't been able to write anything on May and I'm slowly getting back to the writing drive again. It's possible you might not even notice this in the future updates, as I'm always a few chapters up ahead in the story, just for the moments like these.
> 
> ALSO GOOD NEWS IF YOU ARE A FAN OF THIS FIC:  
> I recently got a sudden plot idea which will make this story continue for a long, long into the future, beyond my original plans.  
> I hope you'll enjoy the ride with me.

“I had a dream last night. About mom.”

Noctis was staring at the far horizon from the palace’s rooftop, dark circles framing his tired eyes. The wind tossed his hair around playfully, humming loudly in Ignis’s ears.

“That’s a rare occasion,” Ignis noted calmly over the loud wind, standing near Noctis but slightly behind him, like he was supposed to as his servant. Noctis stood completely still, his attention focused on the forever dark citadel. 

“She gave me a hug and said everything would turn out to be fine. It felt very real,” Noctis continued without blinking an eye.

“The Queen must be looking after you from the Afterlife,” Ignis said softly, earning a small, barely visible smirk from Noctis. He pressed his head down, his already too-long black hair whipping in front of his eyes. 

“Yeah…” Noctis smiled, his chin still down. “It’s, at least, a nice thought.”

“Are you getting more comfortable with the idea of your partner being a man?” Ignis asked with his hands behind his back.

Noctis’ lips pursed.

“…Yes. You know, I’m not into guys. Never have been, never thought I’d be. But… this has made me really question my values, my preferences. I think that… I think that after the initial shock, when I gave it some deeper thought, the idea of Prompto being my partner didn’t sound so bad. With any other guy, I would have resisted that idea with all my might – but Prompto is Prompto. He’s… somehow different… I don’t know how to explain this… I honestly never expected anything like this to happen. That I’d have deep feelings for a man…”

“Love doesn’t need explanation and most of us it takes by surprise,” Ignis replied with a small smile. His face got stern after that. “Noctis… It’s about the time we tell the King.” Ignis stepped closer to Noctis, his body straight.

Noctis’s eyes narrowed sadly.

“I know,” he sighed, lifting his chin up, his forlorn eyes gazing at the city line below them. “It’s just… It’s kinda hard, you know? It took me time to even adjust myself to this thought so… I swear, I’ve tried to tell him many times, but…”

“Is it because you’re unsure of Prompto’s role as your partner?” Ignis asked. Noctis chuckled, but his tone was sad.

“I believe you. I believe my own heart. Every day I see it clearer and clearer. The longer Prompto’s away from me, the deeper my heart falls for him and the more my eyes are opened and my mind is shifted to acceptance. It’s indeed like Shiva said, though at times I still fear that I’m making a mistake. I’d like to have a certain answer before I advance with this,” he replied, sounding like a mature king. “I haven’t been able to tell dad because it’s a very bad political choice… And dad is all about traditions and stuff.”

“The more reason to believe the King wouldn’t resist the will of the Astrals,” Ignis offered comfortingly, finally earning Noctis’s attention. He turned his head to Ignis, a sad smile lingering in his exhausted eyes. His hair was completely messed by the wind, grown out from its original spiky shape. 

“It doesn’t mean that he wouldn’t be disappointed with the news,” Noctis said, his voice disheartened.

“The King is worried about you, Noct. The longer you postpone the news, the more you only depress yourself. Aren’t there already enough burdens on your shoulders? You’re not only troubling your own mind but also your father’s. Ours, too,” Ignis told Noctis.

Noctis’s gaze hardened. 

“There’s no guarantee this aching in my heart will be soothed or taken away from me if I tell him,” Noctis replied bitterly.

“As there is no guarantee that the aching in your heart won’t break your spirit if you don’t tell him. In a sense, it has already started,” Ignis noted back. Noctis seemed to ponder his words, eyes casting down. He bit his lower lip.

“Listen, Noctis. I know you want him to accept you as you are. Accept your destiny and Prompto as they are. Any son would wish that from his father. I’m sure the King will understand,” Ignis tried once more when Noctis remained in his own thoughts for too long.

“You know what this means,” he finally hissed, “There will be no heir for Lucis anymore. This bloodline, which is so dear to my father, which he is so proud of, will die. I’ll be the last Lucis Caelum. This choice of Shiva will place father into a difficult position, and I don’t mean the heir business only.” Noctis swallowed quietly.

Ignis fell into silence. He knew that every one of them – Gladio, Iris, himself and Noctis, the only ones knowing the truth - had thought about that; had thought about how politically incorrect the marriage between Noctis and Prompto would be. It was basically a suicide marriage for Lucis Caelum. 

“It will be hell of a ruckus when this news go out,” Noctis snorted ironically, his head turning back to look at the distance of the city. He leaned against the edge of the rooftop’s railing with his outstretched arms and sighed, his head falling down with the exhale. He shifted his legs, looking uncomfortable.

“Prompto has already suffered more than enough. How can I ask him to suffer more? Suffer for me? We have no idea where he is and what he’s going through right now. What if he’s being tormented by something or someone? What if he’s crying for help and I can’t hear him? I try, Ignis. I try so hard. To get even a hint of his voice calling for me. But I can’t hear a thing. Not even a whisper.” Noctis’s voice was shivering as he was gritting his teeth. “And to think that when he finally returns – when he’s finally given back to us – I will put him into a place he least expects: at my side as my Divine Partner, like The Queen at the chessboard next to her King, ready to serve him. To be, as a man, publicly humiliated and hated, accused of destroying Lucis’s bloodline together with the no-good prince Noctis – not to mention his past and how that will affect all of us. How can I ask something like that from him? How is that fair to anyone? I still fail to see any reason for all of this.” He took a small pause, taking a shaky breath. “I tried to ask mom last night, but she didn’t answer. I’ve tried to ask mom so many times, tried to ask Shiva to give me even a tiny hint, but nothing’s coming to me.”

Ignis was quietly listening to Noctis’s stuttering outburst, which he delivered in a way which told Ignis that Noctis had been contemplating this inside his head for a long time. He did understand where Noctis was coming from. He had had time to ponder the news for the past six months already.

Noctis took a shaky inhale.

“The kingdom will never accept Prompto. They won’t let a daemon – even a half-one – get that close to the throne. You know how the politicians are, how this country is run and operated, despite Divine Missions and Astrals’ blessing. It’s the humans who operate this place foremost; it’s us who keep this world running, its governments alive and nations guarded. It’s bad enough my assigned partner is a man but a daemon, too. A human experiment from Niflheim, built just to destroy Lucis,” Noctis hissed. “To kill me. That’s what he was meant to be. My killer. One of the ones who’d be bringing down Lucis. How the hell will they accept Prompto with that knowledge? How the hell will my father ever accept him as his son-in-law? Even I have a hard time accepting that Prompto is a daemon at times.”

Ignis straightened his neck and softly lifted his chin up, his hands pushing behind his back. He cleared his throat.

“It’s obvious how much Prompto means to you,” he stated, Noctis letting out a short, quiet sob before him.

“Shiva’s asking way too much from us. From both of us. I don’t want to put Prompto into that place. I don’t want to make him go through all that…” Noctis swallowed, squeezing the edge of the railing tightly. 

“I understand your wish to protect him, but if I may, I think Prompto is a lot stronger than you give him credit for,” Ignis said softly. 

“This mission is unfair. No matter what, it can’t have a happy ending,” Noctis hissed angrily between his teeth, disappointed, ignoring Ignis’s words. His chin dropped even lower toward his chest. “Either I fail and won’t get the throne because we’re wrong about Prompto, or we’re right about Prompto and we’ll stain the reputation of Lucis’s bloodline, kill it without an heir, and get the hate and despite of people on our backs. Not to mention there’s always a possibility an MT as my partner will cause a political conflict either with Niflheim or some of our supporting nations.”

Ignis remained quiet.

“I can feel the darkness restlessly whirling within me. It gathers there due to the worry and anger I feel for Prompto’s sake and I can’t seem to let go of it. I’m angry at Shiva for playing with us. Pissed off at myself the most. I was so blind. Too concentrated on the role I thought I was supposed to fill – a role of a husband, a crown prince who brings back his damsel – to actually see what was going on. I was too… inexperienced.” Noctis chose his words carefully, finally getting up and straightening his body. He turned slowly towards Ignis, who met his flaring eyes with a pitying, small smile.

“I must say, Your Highness, that you have matured tremendously within the last six months,” he complimented Noctis.

“I wish I had done that earlier. With that, Prompto might not have been taken away,” he replied shortly, brushing off Ignis’s compliment. 

Ignis nodded agreement, closing his eyes very slowly.

“I’m afraid that’s the case, but we must remember that the answer, which lead to our discovery and also told about this darkness, was given to us by Shiva herself. There’s a possibility this was something which couldn’t have been avoided. We can only guess if this somehow serves Prompto, too.”

Noctis’s eyes closed halfway, his head turning slightly upwards. The exhaustion returned to his eyes, making him look older than soon-to-be 22. 

“I’m tired of battling against this darkness within me, Ignis. I’m scared it will flare out once more and this trinket will not help me then.” Noctis sighed, his fingers rising up to a white, elegant collar around his neck. It was an upgraded model from the original one and it was uploaded with Holy regularly to help Noctis. It had failed a few times, but currently the magick department and Lunafreya were certain it would last with its current Holy uploading pace.

“I’m sure the collar will be helpful, even if you still doubt it. It has already showed its powers. No Darkenings in almost four months,” Ignis soothed Noctis, but it was all in vain. Noctis took a sad look at Ignis, his fingers still over the expensive collar worth all of Lucis Caelum’s reputation.

“Every single day makes my heart sink more and more, because I can’t stop thinking about him. I can’t stop my mind from whirling with thoughts of Prompto’s location, nor I can soothe myself enough not to worry that he might not return. Or that if Prompto does return, he won’t be back in a very, very long time.” Noctis sounded tired, his voice coarse and rugged. 

“You are still very young, Noctis, despite that you’ve grown up a lot. You should share your worries with others. That’s why we’re here,” Ignis reminded Noctis. He chuckled dryly at Ignis’s comment.

“I can’t see the dream anymore, Ignis. It’s gone,” Noctis whispered, looking at the sky, his eyebrows twisting upward into a forlorn expression. His hand fumbled with the bracelet he had gotten from Prompto on his wrist. “It disappeared the day I saw it the clearest, back when Iris was with me. After that, nothing. I waited for it to return so that I could see Prompto once more, but it’s not there. He’s not there anymore, Ignis. I can’t see him.”

“So, the nightmare is permanently gone? That should be a good thing,” Ignis offered.

Noctis’s nose wrinkled immediately.

“I wish I could dream about Prompto, but if I’m honest, I can’t remember if I even have dreams anymore. It’s hard to sleep. It’s ironic, really. First I can barely stay awake as the Gods are keeping me asleep and now I can’t sleep because the decision of the Gods – or a certain Goddess – keeps me awake.”

Ignis wanted to say Noctis definitely looked like someone who would need years of sleep, but he kept his lips pressed together. 

“Still, you should try to catch an eyeful. Anywhere you can, whenever you can,” Ignis offered.

“I’m afraid of that,” Noctis hissed. “I fear that if I slumber too deep, the darkness will wake up before me, taking hold of this body. I know I’m getting weaker. Day by day my health is going down because we haven’t been able to get rid of my darkness properly. I know it gnaws me, all because of me being one of the Caelums with a very strong magical energy,” he mumbled with a pained look. “I fear that it’s only a matter of time before this collar breaks and the darkness wakes up while my mind slumbers – and that time, I end up killing someone for real. What if it’s you? Or Gladio? What if it’s Iris, who keeps seeing me and comforting me in her warm lap, and the corrupted me stabs her to death while I myself am asleep?” Noctis’s face twisted and he whipped his head away with a hiss. “If I end up losing Iris also, I—“

“That’s always a possibility but an unlikely one, for the palace magick’s---“ Ignis started, but Noctis didn’t let him finish.

“And now the nightmare is gone, too. All my dreams. All of them,” he kept talking, unable to stop listening to Ignis.

“It’s not a sign that Prompto is gone, Your Highness,” Ignis stepped closer to Noctis and placed his hand calmly over his shoulder. “You wouldn’t miss him so much if he was permanently gone. That’s what I believe. You are connected and you can feel him very close by even without the dreams; that’s why you’re so upset you can’t see him.”

“You mean that Fate String stuff?” Noctis laughed weakly, his eyes humorous despite his exhaustion. 

“Call it whatever you want, Your Highness.” Ignis smiled back at Noctis, whose expression eased a bit. 

“Prompto believed in that,” he noted, earning a nod from Ignis.

“Then you should, too,” he encouraged Noctis. “Please, calm down, Noct. I’m sure things will turn out alright. Calm down for Prompto’s sake. He’ll be upset if he sees you all scrambled when he returns,” Ignis said, hoping that referring to Prompto’s name would ease Noctis’s depressed mood at least a little.

Noctis inspected Ignis’s face carefully. He took a deep, deep breath, seemingly trying to calm himself after the rampage. 

“…How are the things with Niflheim?” he whispered, unsure, most likely changing the subject to please Ignis. “I’m sorry I haven’t spoken about that with you earlier. I’ve been too afraid to ask. I haven’t dared to tell dad about that either.”

“We’ve delivered a private message to Stella about the events based on your wish four months ago, but we still need to send them an official message following the protocol because the Prince of Lucis has courted The Princess of Niflheim, and officially, Niflheim is still waiting for Lucis’s proposal for Stella to reply to. But so far, only Stella knows how things are and has nothing against the truth. She’s willing to wait. Strange enough, she’s got our backs. I must say she has to have feelings for you – whether it’s love or pity – for being so cooperative with us,” Ignis told Noctis. The side of his mouth twitched a bit. 

“How will the Emperor of Niflheim react to this news when the official reply is delivered to him?” Noctis asked.

“Hard to say, but I suspect Stella will handle him,” Ignis offered. “However, we cannot predict how he will react to a gay marriage. It’s possible he will see it as a chance to strike, as a golden opportunity because the Lucis will be weakened without a blood heir.”

Noctis let out a frustrated groan, his hand raking through his messy hair hastily. He turned on his heels with a pained grunt. 

“So, we’re back at the start, again. No matter what will happen, it will be bad: Marrying Stella, if that was an option, is a political suicide to Lucis. Marrying Prompto, which seems to be the only option, is a political suicide to Lucis. Me failing and not getting the throne, which is still possible if we are wrong, is a political suicide to Lucis,” he listed, his hands coming to his hips with a pained hiss. “Goddammit, Ignis. How can I tell this to father? How can I walk through this pathway of failures? There’s nothing good coming out from any of this. I’m honestly starting to believe Shiva’s intention is to rob the throne from me and kill the last of Lucis, for whatever reason.” Noctis walked a few steps away from Ignis, his hands still on his hips, head dropping. “I never was a good son anyway. Never a good prince or a crown heir. If you ask me, either Cor or you would had been a much more fitting son for my father than I.” 

“Don’t speak such garbage, Noct!” Ignis’s voice was unnaturally furious, “That’s---“

“Whatever you are going to say, it won’t change my mind,” Noctis stopped Ignis with a stern voice. 

“But Noctis---“ Ignis tried once more, but Noctis stopped him again.

“Ignis!” he commanded Ignis over his shoulder with a hurt tone, silencing his servant.

Ignis gathered himself together quickly, pushing his shoulders back and raising his chin up high.

“As you wish, Your Highness,” he spoke steadily, giving Noctis a formal bow, his hand over his heart.

Noctis looked at Ignis over his shoulder, then turned his head away. They were quiet for a long time. Only the sound of the gusty wind and occasional sirens yelling down in the dark Insomnia streets cut the silence. 

“…How much longer must I wait?” Noctis muttered to himself. “How much time do I have to figure this mess out?”

“I’m afraid no one can answer that, Your Highness,” Ignis said.

“Does this mean that Shiva will return Prompto only if I can solve this issue? Or is it just a matter of time, with nothing we can do to help it, and we have no way to help Prompto out?” Noctis’s voice was weak.

“I fear that no one can answer that, either,” Ignis said apologetically, but Noctis turned to him sideways, offering him a tiny smile.

“I’m just thinking out loud,” he said, his tired eyes telling otherwise. 

“Would you prefer a cup of tea with those thoughts?” Ignis offered politely with a small amount of humor in his question, finally earning a soft chuckle from Noctis. 

“…Fine. It’s getting cold up here,” Noctis agreed half-heartedly, the exhaustion permanently settled in his eyes. 

Noctis followed Ignis rather absently throughout the palace, all the way to their traditional Lucian tea room. It was dim with an expensive chandelier’s light decorating the tall room. Noctis had no appetite, but his stomach growled when Ignis had prepared the tea for him and was placing a tray of tea cakes in the middle of the round tea table.

“I should apologize everyone,” Noctis muttered into his tea cup, his eyes dark and sullen.

“I doubt that’s hardly necessary. We know where you stand,” Ignis soothed Noctis down, sitting opposite of him. “What I think you should do is talk with the King.”

Noctis’s eyes narrowed and he grunted against the cup’s edge.

“We… We need to send the reply to Stella first. I must get that done now. I’ve let her wait for too long. Can you write it for me?”

“Absolutely.”

“Tell her that… Tell her that we’re… Hell, what can we tell her? We can’t just blurt, ‘we have found another partner!’ I mean… I wouldn’t take anything as certain until Shiva herself has said yes to Prompto.” Noctis cursed with a bothered expression. 

“If wanted, we can send them an official proposal offer from Lucis’s prince without any promises of the marriage. After all, the protocol states that after the proposed partner has accepted the proposal request, a proposal meeting will follow on a day chosen by the proposed one. You can discuss more there, in private, if we want to avoid telling them anything about Prompto officially. Yet, knowing Stella – especially when I’ve kept contact with her the last half a year – I wouldn’t be surprised that she had already sniffed out the truth,” Ignis explained. 

“You’ve become acquaintances with her?” Noctis asked.

“Sort of. It’s bound to happen when the princess has no PR-servants or anything like that, but handles everything herself. Niflheim’s palace operates in a different manner than ours and it seems that’s somehow thanks to Stella and how much the emperor respects her as his daughter,” Ignis simply stated, earning a snort from Noctis.

“So, we’re the old ones, following the traditions…” He huffed.

“Sometimes traditions are necessary,” Ignis calmly noted, but it didn’t really convince Noctis. 

Noctis’s head bowed down and he sighed.

“I’ll leave the letter for you. Write it as you see best. Tell her about Prompto or not. My head is too empty to think what would be the best political choice,” Noctis mumbled, taking a sip of his herbal tea.

“As you wish, Noct. Thank you for your trust in me, even though it took me so long to solve Shiva’s answer,” Ignis replied, his tone oddly thin. Noctis snorted.

“Please. Without you we’d be still banging our heads against the wall. You did good, Ignis. Thank you. I couldn’t make it without you. You give the best answers, listen to my rants, and are always there to support me no matter what. You do more than you should. I appreciate it.” Noctis smiled softly at Ignis, his eyes still tired.

Ignis was seemingly surprised by Noctis’s sudden compliments, but he kept his face straight, nodding his head slowly at Noctis.

“I thank you for your kind words, Your Highness. I will ready the letter for Stella.”

 

\-----------------------------------

  
Noctis was walking absently in the palace gardens’ peacefulness. A few birds, which had been given to Lucis’s palace as political gifts from some important bureau Noctis couldn’t remember the name of, called to each other while flying near the glass ceiling. 

Earlier today Noctis had gone to King Regis’s office in order to finally tell him about Prompto. Noctis had been thinking Ignis’s words over thoughtfully in prior days and came to the conclusion that he should tell father what was going on. Eventually, he would find out anyway. Yet, when Noctis had stepped into the room and seen his father, who looked up at him with tenderness and hope from his seat behind the heavy, antique writing desk, Noctis couldn’t do it. Couldn’t disappoint him. He had swallowed his intended words down and just informed King Regis that he shouldn’t worry about him; that he would finish this mission and bring honor to Lucis’s kingdom.

King Regis had stood up from his seat and walked to Noctis to pull his son into a tight embrace, telling him that no matter what it would be - the fate which the Astrals had bestowed upon Noctis - he, as his father, would be proud of his son. Noctis had hugged Regis back, biting his lip in secrecy, and thanked him. 

That scene weighed heavily on Noctis’s mind as he strolled from one flower bush to another aimlessly. He hadn’t dared to ask if Ignis had sent the letter to Stella – most likely he had – or what he had written in it. Ignis was a man of words; he would come up with something good enough. 

“Your Highness.”

Noctis turned to the sound of being called, and of course, how could it have been anyone other than Ignis? Somehow, he always appeared when Noctis was thinking of him or feeling himself especially down with worries.

“What is it?” he asked, watching how Ignis walked closer.

“You need a haircut.” Ignis smirked from the corner of his upward curved lip. Noctis snorted, but couldn’t hide a small smirk either. He shook his head, his long bangs swinging around and in front of his face.

“Is not that bad yet,” he noted, taking a look at Ignis, “That’s what you came all the way here to tell me?”

“No, but I have some good news,” Ignis said, sounding pleased. “We’ve gotten a reply from Stella. Her Imperial Highness wishes you to get back to health first before any meetings will be arranged.”

Noctis’s eyes narrowed, his expression becoming darker.

“Does that mean that she’s pissed off at the long wait?” he asked from Ignis, but quickly Ignis disagreed with Noctis.

“Not at all. I told Stella… rather openly what was going on, if I may put it that way. Nothing to endanger your position or Insomnia in any way. I told her we have found another possible suitor, who fits perfectly in the description we have gotten from your personal Astral, and we also need to see into that option for Lucis’s future’s sake. I also told her about the loss of Prompto, and she said she had heard the news that the Insomnian Prince was on a hiatus with his mission because of this loss. The Princess sends you her condolences.”

“Send her my thank you,” Noctis replied. “We’ll contact her again later, when things have settled down more. I hope it will happen soon.”

“I wish the same, Your Highness.”

“I tried to tell dad today, but I couldn’t…” Noctis admitted with tight lips to Ignis, unable to look him in the eyes. His hands curled into fists. “I’m sorry. I’m honestly a coward.”

“I understand you. If you want my help with this matter, too, I gladly help you.” Ignis patted Noctis encouragingly on his shoulder, earning a hum from a pained looking Noctis.

“Thanks. I might need that, but… on the other hand, I feel it’s my responsibility to tell dad. If I can’t tell my own father something like this, how I can tell even harder, more difficult things to my people when I’m the king – taken that Shiva isn’t planning to rob the crown from me?” Noctis asked sullenly from Ignis. Ignis stepped right next to Noctis.

“Speaking of which, the media is starting to get restless. It’s been a long time since we arrived here and the mission was publicly announced as being on hiatus. We can’t keep that up much longer now, I’m afraid. The citizens are getting worried for their future, talking about a possible failure on your part.” Ignis spoke with a low tone into his hear. “We need to give them more information. Any kind.”

“What do you suggest?” Noctis muttered with a stern expression, frustrated that along his own worries, he also needed to deal with the public.

“We could announce that we believe Prompto to be alive and ask people to let the palace know if they see him. That the Prince might be unable to carry on with the mission without one of his guardians.”

“I am unable to carry on with this if Prompto is the right one as we suspect,” Noctis half-barked back with an annoyed voice. “But, as much as your suggestion does sound fair, I don’t want anyone to go searching for Prompto. We don’t know where he is. He was last seen in Niflheim’s ground and our people can’t just go there. It’s always possible Nifs themselves will see this as an opportunity to strike against us and thus go looking for Prompto from that town, despite Stella’s friendliness – I mean, she can only do so much. What if the Nifs find him? What if they figure out that he’s one of the escaped MTs? That’s… that’s too risky, Ignis. I won’t do that to Prompto.” Noctis looked Ignis straight in his eyes, his expression dead serious.

Ignis withdrew his head from Noctis’s ear, nodding with a hum.

“That is indeed a very good point, Noct. I can tell you have matured a lot. Day by day, you start to act more like a king,” Ignis complimented him, but it really didn’t reach Noctis’s heart. 

“IF Shiva isn’t conspiring to leave me without the crown with all this,” he reminded Ignis bitterly, his hands rising up to his hips. Noctis took a deep inhale and sighed heavily.

“Let’s… let’s think about the media thing later. Dad needs to know first and I…” he began, just to be cut off by Ignis’s worrisome notion.

“It’s always possible the media will start to warm up to those rumors of your and Prompto’s possible relationship if this goes on. They are eventually going to add one plus one – your mission’s hiatus and Prompto being missing – together and take it as a fact that something was indeed going on between you two. I suggest that you let your father know what Shiva has told you and what we came up with – before he hears it from somewhere else, even as a rumor.”

Noctis could hear from Ignis’s voice that he wasn’t joking around. He wanted to remind Ignis that the media wouldn’t be far from the truth even if they started to rumor again about him having the hots for Prompto, but Noctis made up his mind to keep it quiet. 

“…I, uh… I’d feel more comfortable with that if Prompto was here. If we could bring it out together,” Noctis admitted, sort of ashamed.

“We don’t know when Prompto will return,” Ignis pointed out. His head cocked to the side, eyes narrowing behind his elegant frames. “Is something else bothering you, Noct? You know I’m always available if you have something on your mind.”

“Well… there’s something else I’ve wanted to ask from you, for quite a long time already,” Noctis gave in rather quickly, his eyes cast up to the glass ceiling, where two exotic birds were flying around each other.

“Of course. You’re always free to ask me anything,” Ignis replied.

“I… I believe that based on what we know now, the Divine Partner is indeed Prompto,” Noctis hissed quietly, afraid someone might hear his chat with Ignis. “Yet I’m honestly freaked out we’re wrong. Nothing has been certain so far on this mission. I need to know it’s him for sure before the Ending Ceremony. I’m horribly afraid of failing and what it will cause everyone. Even if it was meant to be that I fail, I at least want to try to succeed. Mold my own Fate, like Stella said to me when I spoke with her for the first time. Her words have been bothering me lately.”

“There’s no need to arrange the ceremony immediately after Prompto’s return,” Ignis calmed Noctis, “After all, we don’t even know if Prompro is aware of his status. Taken how low he values himself, he might honestly flip when we deliver the news for him. It might take time not only for you to make sure that Prompto is the one, but also for Prompto to accept his possible role. Besides, we don’t even know if Prompto is into men, so he might need to face the same struggle as you when it comes to sexual orientation.”

“The riddle said the journey would be easier for the spouse than me.” Noctis wasn’t happy with Ignis’s answer and his bad mood just kept spilling out from him. “So, I guess Prompto should have some sort of feelings for me, even if he wasn’t into guys otherwise, but… is that enough? It’s not enough if we have feelings for each other if we aren’t sure that this is it. I know I keep repeating myself with this same matter like a broken record and I’m sorry about that.”

“It’s alright, Noct. I understand you completely and I know you have a tendency to be a broken record with something which bothers you down to your core. So, do you want me to think of a way to determine Prompto’s rightfulness?” Ignis asked.

Noctis was quiet, his head turning away from Ignis. His fingers reached for the roses next to him, lightly caressing the red petals with the tips of his fingers.

“I… I have never been in love,” Noctis started, his gaze and touch remaining on the roses. “How do couples know that this is the right one? How does that happen?”

“How did your father know your mother was the right one?” Ignis asked.

“That’s not going to help; the marriage was an arranged one.” Noctis wrinkled his nose, turning to Ignis with a sour look.

“Isn’t this sort of an arranged marriage, too? You don’t get to choose your partner,” Ignis pointed out.

Noctis’s lips tightened and he took a look at Ignis. 

“…You’ve got a point there,” he admitted.

Ignis pushed his glasses higher up to the ridge of his nose.

“I suggest that when Prompto comes back - or is returned back to us - you take your time with him. Usually, the time is the best indicator in things like these. That’s my suggestion. Love is, in the end, a very delicate matter and has ways of its own.”

Noctis’s brow furrowed deeply. He was chewing his lower lip, his blue eyes stony.

“Isn’t there any other way?” he finally asked with a sharp hiss, making Ignis laugh warmly at him.

“Impatient, are we?” he joked. “I’m afraid there really isn’t any waterproof-certain way to determine if someone is the right one for you, except to listen to your own heart and let the time show it. People have always had different gimmicks and spells to ask questions regarding love, though. I think you were doing the same with Prompto regarding Iris at Cape Caem when you were pondering if you could kiss her to tell if it was her.” Ignis was smirking from the corner of his mouth.

Suddenly Noctis’s head perked up, his eyes widening. He stood still with his mouth agape.

“Thanks, Ignis!” Noctis gasped and rushed past Ignis, quickly patting his shoulder, all to Ignis’s surprise. Noctis didn’t stop when Ignis called his name but kept running forward, oddly excited.

Iris! He needed to talk with Iris! The sooner the better!

Hastily, Noctis rushed toward the direction of their gym, where Iris often hanged nowadays as a part of her training under Cor. She, however, wasn’t there when Noctis got there; only a few of the guards were doing their regular muscle training, stopping to greet the prince, who stayed only a few seconds at the door frame and disappeared as suddenly as he had appeared.

Noctis decided to try their second library next, as Iris loved the books they had in the palace. He rushed upstairs and went right, just to run into someone in the empty corridor.

“Ah, Iris! I wanted to speak with you! Are you busy?” Noctis stopped abruptly. 

Iris, who had grown herself a bowl cut with lovely bangs, and was looking day by day more and more like her beautiful mother, smiled up to hasty Noctis. 

“Sure. I need to run these to Cor, but after that’s okay, if you can wait a while?” she replied, showing Noctis some papers. 

“That’s fine. Meet me in The Smiling Lady’s room. You remember where it is?”

“Yeah. I’ll see you there!”

Noctis headed there before Iris, nervously pacing back and forth in the room before the tall painting of a faintly smiling lady. Finally, the door opened and Iris popped in, as sunny as always.

“Sorry for the wait, Noct. I’m all yours now so what did you want to talk about?” she asked happily, coming further into the room.

“I ah… I wanted to talk about Cape Caem’s stuff. Back when we met there in the beginning of this mission,” Noctis said, looking nervous. 

“Really? What is it?” Iris cocked her eyebrow curiously, her head tilting.

“We, eh… we spoke with Prompto. He had this idea that you can tell your loved one – The Right One – from wrong ones by kissing them: If your heart leaps and goes crazy, it’s the right one. If not, then it’s not. I just wanted to know if you believe in that?” Noctis asked, his voice tottering a bit.

Iris looked honestly boggled and Noctis couldn’t blame her. She definitely hadn’t been waiting for this kind of a chat. Iris crossed her arms in the same way Gladio did when he pondered something and hummed thoughtfully.

“Well, it does make sense. Isn’t it said that your heart kinda just knows when the right one appears? And lips are connected to the heart if you believe the old Lucian folklores,” Iris agreed with a tiny nod. Then she smiled. “And you know, it is kinda romantic. I’d expect something like that coming from Prompto’s mouth.”

“Yeah, he sure is a romantic,” Noctis smiled back, noticing that he was using present tense for Prompto. He liked that. He still had horrible fears. What if Prompto didn’t return, or what if he did but was badly injured or tortured?

“So, did you kiss him? Prompto, when we were in Cape Caem I mean?” Iris asked boldly, taking Noctis by surprise. His face flushed rapidly.

“I… uh… Yeah…” He circled the matter, not being able to look Iris in the eyes. He was sort of too self-conscious when it came to romantic stuff.

Iris squealed happily, clapping her hands together and jumping under Noctis’s nose.

“Oh, my Astrals, I knew it!” She was joyous in her jumping. “Did he make your heart throb and go all crazy?”

Noctis blushed a bit more, feeling the heat on his cheekbones, which had become even more prominent due him turning 22 soon.

“Yes, it did. A lot,” Noctis replied in all honestly.

“And you didn’t say anything to anyone!” Iris gasped, getting a sharp glare from Noctis in return.

“Iris, not again!” he whined sadly, “Everyone has kept saying that to me. How should I have known? I had never kissed anyone. I thought it was just normal; especially when you kiss a friend you are familiar with and who happens to be same sex. Surely it would make your heart throb and go crazy. Maybe with a stranger or someone you had just met it would be different and not so intense.”

Iris pursed her lips and hummed agreement, her hands rising up to her hips. She kept staring at Noctis tightly.

“That is a very valid point, Noct. Can’t blame you for not noticing what was going on. Love’s not an easy thing,” she said after a small moment of thinking.

“Trust me; I’m an utter dork when it comes to love and relationships.” Noctis huffed, hurt. Then his eyes turned slowly forlorn. “That’s something you can’t learn from books nor really practice either, especially in my shoes. Quite frankly, I have never even been that interested in relationships until this mission. Sometimes I wonder if that’s the reason why Shiva assigned me on this journey of love,” he muttered, beaten. 

“Oh, Noct! You have lots of time to learn when Prompto comes back,” Iris cheered Noctis up.

Noctis’s face fell a bit and he averted his eyes from Iris.

“Speaking of Prompto… I actually wanted to request some assistance from you. I think you are the only one who might be able to help me.” He licked his lips.

“Sure. Hit me,” Iris replied eagerly.

“I uh… I…” Noctis stammered, eyes shifting from side to side as he tried to form his request into an audible form. “I won’t lie; I would have been happy to marry you. I care about you and wish all the best for you. Not that I don’t want to marry Prompto, it’s not that! I just… would have accepted you, too,” Noctis managed to say with a flushed face.

Iris was now also blushing slightly, but she kept her composure and didn’t drop her hands from her hips. She had gained lots of self-esteem and boldness under Cor’s training. 

“And?” she said with a stretching voice.

“So, uh… What I mean to say is that, eh… You do have a place in my heart. Just like Prompto.” Noctis licked his lips again. “And while I’m sure the Divine Partner is Prompto after all I have learnt, I still fear failure. You know what will happen if I present the wrong person to Shiva at the Mission Ending Ceremony. This mission has been nothing but one uncertainty after another, tossing and whipping me around mercilessly. So, I think that I… I need to be sure. Really, really sure before I dare to take Prompto in front of Shiva. Not only for myself but for Prompto’s sake, too. I want to protect him,” Noctis explained the same things to Iris that he had just spoken with Ignis.

Iris was listening to Noctis with great care, all quiet. 

“I was… I was planning to kiss you at Cape Caem, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t find the right timing and I was horribly afraid you’d take it in a wrong way. That I’d hurt you and your feelings. On top of that, I felt guilty when I thought you’d need to give your first kiss to me, not because of love but because of something like Divine Mission. It would have been unfair,” Noctis explained and his head rose up to meet Iris eye to eye. “I’m sorry. I feel almost vile thinking that I had used you like that without telling you why I wanted to kiss you. I somehow just thought I could make the kiss happen, but…”

“That’s… Oh, Noct, that’s not about you using me or anyone else,” Iris cried with her hands relaxing to her sides and her eyes full of compassion. “Divine Mission is an important matter. Of course, all possible ways to find and determine your partner should be used. You should have asked me. I would have gladly helped you out.”

“And let go of your first kiss just like that?” Noctis joked humorously, earning a mischievous, tiny smirk from Iris that reached up to her brown eyes.

“Don’t tell Gladdy, but I had already kissed once,” she whispered to Noctis, cupping her hand next to her mouth as a cover. “I had a crush when I was 13 and kissed him in secrecy at school, but Gladdy doesn’t know. He keeps thinking of me as a delicate little girl needing protection, but after I’m done with Cor’s daemon hunter school, I’ll show him.” She grinned an evil little sister’s smirk. 

Noctis eyes widened at Iris’s revelation but then he chuckled in a relieved manner.

“Then I don’t feel so bad about asking your assistance.” He smiled softly, looking oddly cute. He scratched his neck with the white collar, looking sheepish. “If possible - if you are fine with it - I’d like to kiss you now. I want to see if the kiss with you, who I also love, is different from a kiss with Prompto. That would… that would ease my heart. You both are, in my books, valid options for my Queen if Shiva is taken out from the picture, so I kinda feel it’d be possible to compare a kiss with you to Prompto’s kiss. I know it sounds very silly and naive but you can always say no.” Noctis actually managed to say that out loud without stuttering, though he couldn’t suppress his faint blushing.

Iris was smiling back at Noctis, her eyes glimmering like someone’s who was in love. Her cheeks were rosy and her gaze dreamy. Yet, she grinned impishly.

“And what if the kiss with me makes you go all hot and bothered like with Prompto?” she teased Noctis boldly. 

“Well, then we are in a trouble and I need to find another way to determine Prompto’s rightfulness before taking him to Shiva,” Noctis replied wittingly. 

“If that happens, I suggest you spread your exploring journey to others, too,” Iris said. Then she gasped, her mouth opening up. “Or if both Prompto and I make your heart go all WOW, maybe you need to kiss another man! I vote Gladdy!”

“Iris!” Noctis whined shockingly. “That’s not helpful!”

“I know, I know! Just joking,” she laughed back at Noctis.

“I know this is a lot to ask from you, and like I said, you don’t have to agree, not now or ever---“, Noctis returned back to the subject, but Iris stopped him with a relaxed wave of her hand.

“Please, Noct. I’m training to become a daemon hunter. I can handle one crown prince any day,” Iris assured, shaking her head with closed eyes. Her eyes opened slowly, landing on Noctis’s face with tenderness. “I don’t mind, Noct. I’d kiss you any day. I want to help you out and if this will make you better and help you on your journey, I’ll do it. Don’t forget that I promised you could call me if you needed any help. That promise is still valid, all the way till your mission is over,” she said with the most compassionate voice ever. “It’s, after all, just a kiss and worth trying, yeah? You’re not asking impossible things from me.”

“O—Okay then,” Noctis replied, wiping his hands nervously on the sides of his pants. “I promise I won’t be asking anything from you after this. You have already done so much for me, more than I can ever repay back.”

“Just get on with it,” Iris joked at Noctis’s expense, slapping him on his upper arm playfully. Her slap was sharp and Noctis could tell Cor had been training Iris well. 

Rubbing his sore spot on his arm Noctis shyly took a look at Iris, who had walked almost under his nose. She gave him a smirk from the corner of her lips, her eyes serene.

“Ready when you are,” Iris sighed softly with a tiny bounce up on her toes and back. “Please, treat me with kindness, Your Highness.” 

Noctis stepped closer to Iris, their eyes locked onto each other. He was feeling rather nervous and his heart did beat in his chest when he placed his bare hands softly on Iris’s waist. She touched him back in the same manner, her tiny palms taking a hold of his waistline softly. Noctis bent his neck forward, closing his eyes slowly, and pressed his mouth on Iris’s cute lips. She kissed him back without any hesitation, very tenderly and caringly. 

The kiss was warm. Warm and soft and sweet. It traveled down to the bottom of Noctis’s stomach with the fuzziest feeling; it tickled him and played with his chest most lovingly. It felt nice and comforting. 

Softly, Noctis retreated his lips from Iris’s, breaking the short kiss tenderly. Curiously, with half-closed eyes, Noctis looked down at Iris in his hold. She was still smiling at him, her cheeks painted with pink.

“So?” she asked, cocking her head cutely as a grin appeared on her face.

Noctis dropped his chin with a small chuckle. 

“…It’s Prompto. It definitely has to be him if the kisses don’t lie,” he managed to say on the verge of tears, lips quivering, earning a pleased and utterly delighted cry from Iris. She threw her slim arms around Noctis’s neck and pulled him into a tight hug.

“I knew it! I can tell he is! Your eyes are so full of love whenever you talk about Prompto,” Iris rejoiced, beaming, her head pressing against the side of Noctis’s head. “So, I didn’t make you hot and bothered, right?”

“No, not like Prompto’s mouth does,” Noctis agreed with a positive smirk, which turned into a light sob. He got a soft “d´aaw”-sound from Iris and she hugged him tighter against her. Noctis wrapped his arms around Iris’s waist and returned the hug with silent tears glimmering on his cheeks. He was smiling.

Prompto... When Prompto kissed him, it made Noctis see stars. Made his heart beat like he was dying. Prompto’s sweet, open kisses traveled everywhere in Noctis’s body, all the way down to his groin and lower stomach, squeezing him with a need to kiss Prompto only more. More and more and more, to devour his lips so that Prompto could do nothing but keep kissing him in return. Noctis never, ever, wanted to let go of Prompto’s lips – or his body. He understood now why he had crossed a line with his kiss with Prompto at the Haven’s edge, when the bad rumors affecting Noctis had troubled Prompto so much.

It had been a kiss from The Right One. It had always been the kiss from the Right One.

And now, when Noctis had exchanged a sweet, loving kiss with Iris who he held dear in his heart, he simply knew it had to be Prompto. No one else could make his heart beat so rapidly and cheeks flush so deeply, urging him to kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss more those lips his mouth was exploring, except Prompto. While Noctis could tell that kissing Iris was very satisfying and enjoyable to him, it was nothing compared to kissing Prompto. Absolutely nothing. He would think of this as a cute little event which made him happy, but he knew it wouldn’t make him bothered and aching for more like Prompto did.

Sweet, utterly irresistible Prompto with his beautiful smile, lovely freckles, and tempting body.

Noctis kept smiling as he sniffed his sob back down to his throat. He was happy. So very happy and content. Prompto’s stupidly questionable idea hadn’t been so stupidly questionable after all.

“Thank you, Iris. You have eased my heart with your help,” Noctis managed to mumble without sobbing this time.

“No problem. I’m glad to help,” Iris said.

“…Please, don’t tell Gladio. I’m afraid he already thinks that I’m just using his little sister to feel better, like some toy,” Noctis said, his expression and voice genuinely apologetic, like he would have actually done a wrong thing to Iris whilst accepting her comfort. 

Iris only laughed.

“Has Gladdy said that? If so, I need to give him a piece of my mind. He has completely understood things wrong if that’s what he thinks. Besides, I do as I see best myself. I’m under no man’s command – well, except Cor’s as he’s my mentor, and I know Gladdy wants to keep me safe, but I make the final calls in my life.”

Noctis chuckled back at her.

“Atta girl,” he complimented her, patting her back. Iris didn’t let go of him.

“You know, when Prompto comes back, you better kiss him good,” Iris advised Noctis humorously, still hugging him. 

“I will. I will kiss him so good he’ll pass out,” Noctis swore. Iris had to laugh at his comment, as it sounded so very serious. So very Noctis.

“Oh, I can’t wait to see you two to kiss at the altar. That will be so romantic. I’ll probably cry my eyes out.” Iris sighed dreamily, her gaze drifting up to the ceiling as she played with that mental image. “I will take photos of it for you two if I’m not blinded by the tears.”

“Let’s not go that far yet, especially when Prompto’s not home yet,” Noctis chuckled into her shoulder, aware that he wanted to keep this happy vibe in his chest alive a little longer before he started to worry about the future again. He was just getting his better mood back after the really bad morning. 

Noctis hugged Iris tighter against his chest, finally letting a deep, deep, anxious sigh let go of his chest with a loud groaning sound of relief. He hadn’t even noticed that he had been storing such pressure there.

“Noct,” Iris said, breaking the hug, her hands staying on Noctis’s forearms, “If you ever get second guesses or doubts like these again, come to me. Even if it is about kissing me again, just to make sure you got it right. I don’t mind helping you out.”

“Aaw, thanks, Iris,” Noctis thanked her, looking deeply touched by her kind nature. He ruffled her hair like he had always done when she was younger, and got a short squeal from Iris; he couldn’t tell if it was a delighted or annoyed one.

“You know, I wasn’t going to say this but you talk differently,” Iris suddenly said.

Noctis’s head withdrew backwards, eyebrow arching in a boggled way.

“Eh? Really?”

“Yeah! Kinda… How can I say it…? More mature? More tenderness? Anyway, not so much awkward mumbling and short sentences.” Iris was tapping her lips with her finger, her arms crossed over her chest as she tried to find the right way to describe Noctis’s speech pattern.

Noctis’s face fell and his lips pursed, miffed.

“’Awkward mumbling’?” he repeated Iris’s words, hurt.

Iris only laughed at Noctis’s hilarious expression, making his cheeks blush in return. 

“You know what I mean,” she defended herself, stopping her laughter and concentrating on Noctis. “I’m sure that if you keep talking like that, Prompto will also point out you about it. Or! Or, then this is all because of Prompto not being here, because you can’t keep up with that awkward teenager boy mumbling without him. Maybe, when he comes back, you will fall back to that old pattern.” Iris was fully in a Noctis-teasing mode.

Noctis’s lips pouted only further. She was definitely like Gladio when it came to having fun at Noctis’s expense.

But he didn’t mind that. His sullen expression melted into a tiny smirk and then burst out as chuckling, encouraged by Iris’s laughter.

It felt good to laugh.

Noctis couldn’t remember the last time he had laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't planning them to kiss - not planning Noctis to kiss anyone when the first try with Iris didn't work out and things with Stella didn't go far enough for the kiss - so I was surprised when this cute kiss scene actually happened. This is what I mean when I say the characters mess up with the story and the plot is alive, constantly changing.


	19. A Garden

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Prompto wanders in strange places

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realized something with this fic; majority of its readers are from USA. They don’t have cultural concept and same understanding of royal houses and how monarchies operate as I as a European do. Let me explain to you a bit about the concept of monarchy and the role of crown heir, so you understand a bit more what Noctis is going through and why he is in a really difficult spot with Prompto. I will try to address these things in the fic too.
> 
> Monarchy doesn’t operate like a presidential government. While government does majority of the decisions in monarchy based countries, the royal family is THE FACE and THE FAMILY of the country. Everything of that country and what it represents is tied to the royal family. If the ruling King/Queen or the crown heir fucks things up, it affects the reputation of the whole family line and the country. 
> 
> In history, religion has always molded royal families, as church ruled the King, not the other way around. God was above the king and the church was the direct contact to God, making sure His Will is being followed by everyone: The king/queen needed to be especially compliant to the church and God, as he/she was an example for the people. (Henry VIII is a great example of a king who went against the church, decided to rule his own life and monarchy as he saw the best without listening to church, and the effects of his decision are still alive today, 500 years later). So, messages from God weren’t just small guidelines for the royalty and the same is happening in this fic in Lucis’s royal family.
> 
> The crown heir is the most important person in a royal family right after the king and the queen. They are the next Face of the country and their family is the next Family of the country. They are expected to have a pure next crown heir with a partner suitable for the role of the crown heir’s partner. While religion hasn’t so much footing in monarchies anymore (at least not in North-European monarchies), the same idea of the royal family being pure and ideal example for the people is still very, very valid. Thus, the crown heir needs to be pretty much perfect in every way. 
> 
> If the crown heir has got siblings, they can live their life a lot freer and expectations for them are lower than for the crown heir. For example, Sweden’s lovely crown princess Victoria has a little sister princess Madeleine, who lives in USA with her American husband, running her own business and living much like any normal woman. Victoria, however, acts like a crown heir, attending important meeting and running politically correct relationships ect. Whatever you can imagine from the next queen. Same goes for their children; crown heir’s children are much more important and under stricter surveillance by everyone than crown heir’s siblings’ children. 
> 
> Traditions are important in royal families. The crown heir rises to the throne pretty much without exception nowadays, but it wasn’t always like this. If we use Sweden’s crown heir Victoria as an example again, she was born in 1977 and during that time the law in Sweden said that the crown would go to the eldest son only. The law was changed in 1980 (Act of Succession (Successionsordningen)) so that the oldest child of the royal family will inherit the throne no matter what gender the child is. Without the law change Victoria’s younger brother Prince Daniel would be the crown heir. Note that Princess Victoria’s father, King Carl Gustav, was against this law change as he is all about traditions and wanted to have a son, who would be the king after him – and this happened just 37 years ago!
> 
> SO! The crown heir needs to be perfect, is constantly under a strict surveillance, represent the country and its people, can’t have any hobbies or activities or friends or lovers ect. which will ruin the Royal Family’s reputation, must have a blood heir with a perfect partner as a half-bastard heir or a not-suitable partner as the crown heir’s child’s other parent will not do. Adoption is also BIG NO NO, unless it happens inside the royal family tree, and even then the crown is rather given to the next in line in than to an adoptive child of a crown heir – if they can even adopt anyone, as you know, the traditions again and the need to have an offspring with pure royal blood line descending straight from the prior rulers. Traditions must be followed at all cost. 
> 
> If there’s no one next in line for the crown, like in Lucis Caelum’s blood line, it’s a BIG, BIG issue. HUGE issue. It’s a nation falling into chaos, which asks drastic measurements to keep the government on and people safe. A riot or a coup d'état in a case where the royal bloodline dies completely without a blood heir with no one in line for the throne wouldn’t be anything unusual. (IRL this wouldn't happen though, there's always some family member alive.)

Silence. Total, absolute silence.

Then a high pitched ringing. Faintly at first, but then louder and louder. So loud it hurt.

And darkness. Darkness beyond any darkness, so dark a black hole would be envious of it.

Even though the whining sound disappeared slowly, the darkness stayed. 

Prompto shook his head and rubbed his eyes, unable to see anything in front of him. Slowly, moment by moment, his eyes got adjusted to the odd darkness and soon he could tell faint outlines of his body apart; his arms, his legs, his torso. Frantically squinting to get his vision properly back, Prompto panicked.

Where was this place?

Where was everyone else?

Why couldn’t he hear a thing?

Where was Noctis? He had been there just a second ago, battling with the Behemoths. Prompto had run after him to give him a hand and to aid the civilians out of the beasts’ way. Then, something had happened – Prompto couldn’t say what – but he had… No, Noctis and the Behemoths had disappeared. Fast as lightning, something had happened and Prompto couldn’t wrap his mind around it. He didn’t remember what had happened. He had no memory of any events after glancing at Noctis battling with the monstrous beast.

A cold sweat rose up to Prompto’s forehead, his lips parting.

Was… was this death?

Had he died?

No… No way! He couldn’t die now! Not now! Noctis needed him! Needed his help to find the bride and accomplish the Divine Mission! He had promised to be there for Noctis, no matter how long his journey to the throne would take! He couldn’t…. he couldn’t be dead… He couldn’t die now… Not now… He…

He…

He hadn’t even told Noctis how much he….

Prompto shook his head again, furiously, rubbing his eyes with both hands and wiping the moisture away from his eyes. Then, he took a long inhale with a frown, eyes sharp. 

“Okay, stay calm,” Prompto told himself, voice shivering despite his sharp glare, “You’ve got this. There must be some other explanation or at least a way out. Move. Move your legs. Come on now…”

His body didn’t want to cooperate, but Prompto forced his legs to take a step. And another. And another. And another. Slowly and steadily, walking became easier the longer he wandered forward in the darkness, which spread limitlessly in every direction. There was no sound, no smell, no taste, no direction. There… was nothing. Even darkness itself wasn’t darkness, because it didn’t exist either. There was just nothing – and there was Prompto.

Prompto didn’t know how long or how far he had walked – it seemed he wasn’t advancing at all despite his steps – but his body started to relax and obey his commands more. He sped up to jogging, increasing the speed as his body followed his will.

“He---Hello?” Prompto yelled into the emptiness, and it felt like his voice wasn’t really traveling anywhere but that it hit an invisible mass with no pressure, weight or touch. “A—anyone?”

His head whipped from side to side as he ran, and Prompto couldn’t help the panic starting to get the better of him. He swallowed down a sob between his panting, but the tears that had been lingering at the corners of his eyes and threatening to come out spilled onto his freckled cheeks.

“Noct!” Prompto yelled, hoping Noctis could somehow hear him. “Noctis!”

But there was no answer. There was nothing else but him.

Prompto hastily wiped tears from his eyes, his breath starting to become erratic and hitching. Prompto knew he was screwed. Somehow, in some way, he was in deep shit. The darkness stayed the same around him, never changing, no matter how far or wide he tried to go. He didn’t even know where to head to without any direction.

This couldn’t be his end. He couldn’t be dead. He didn’t want to be dead…!

“NOCTIS!” he yelled from the bottom of his stomach, stopping. He called his name three times, yelling as loudly as it was possible for him with his hands cupped next to his mouth – but only silence greeted him back.

Shaking, Prompto pressed his head down and let out a frustrated cry. He was scared. Was the Afterlife like this? This emptiness? No wonderful serene gardens or a beautiful sunset or the forever loving light of the Astrals surrounding you?

Or maybe… maybe this was the Afterlife for creations like him… Maybe they did not go to the Afterlife but were doomed to wander in darkness like this… After all, he was a daemon. Prompto suspected daemons weren’t allowed to enter the realm of Astrals. Did this mean that he was forced to stay here, in this empty darkness, for all eternity, never seeing Noctis again? Never seeing Ignis or Gladio or Iris? Never getting to sleep in his own bed again or play games with Noctis?

Never being able to feel Noctis’s warmth against his chest, or his soft lips? Noctis’s warm hand in his or his calm breathing on his neck when Noctis slept next to him?

He… He didn’t want that. Never.

“Noct…” Prompto whimpered sorrowfully, squeezing his hands into fists. He cried. 

Cried.

Cried.

Cried.

Tears big and wet, dripping onto his feet and lingering as small puddles there. 

No. He couldn’t give up. He might have been a loser, someone who gave up, but right now that wouldn’t do. Noctis needed him! Needed his help! He had made a promise to Noctis and if there was something Prompto never did, it was breaking his promises.

Determined and with an angry look in his eyes, Prompto dried his reddened face, swallowed down the last remains of his sorrow, and slapped his cheeks.

“Alright, I’m going to do this. I’m going to find Noct. I refuse to believe I’m dead until I see my own corpse. Until then I will do my best to find the way out; if there’s a way in, there’s a way out, too,” Prompto pep-talked himself with a flaming tone, puffing out his chest and pulling his shoulders back. “Don’t worry, Noct; I’m coming.”

Taking a final, stabilizing inhale Prompto sprinted as far as he could; he ran, ran, ran, assuring himself that there had to be a way out here. Assured himself that if he just kept going in one direction, he would eventually run into something. He hoped he’d find it soon, he was getting pretty tired.

“Oh, sweet child, what are you doing here?”

Prompto halted on the spot, the fine hairs on his neck standing on end. He had just heard someone talking. A woman, he thought.

“I---Is someone there?” Prompto asked timidly with a thin voice. His throat had a tight lump in it.

“This is not the place for you,” the most beautiful female voice Prompto had ever heard in his life echoed in the darkness. It sounded like bells in the wind with a call of a mystical Phoenix, dancing around like snowflakes during a peaceful day over a snowy field.

Prompto turned around, hoping to see the woman, but no one was there. There were no bells, no Phoenix or snowflakes either, though he had heard those in the woman’s voice. Prompto was about to ask who he was talking with, when the beautiful voice spoke again:

“Go towards the light.”

Prompto paled.

“No!” he yelped, horrified. “I don’t want to die! I need to go back to Noctis!”

The voice chuckled at him, almost in a motherly way, and spoke once more.

“Fear not; it is not what you think. Please, go towards the light. Can you see it?”

Prompto wanted to argue back that he really didn’t want to go into the light yet, but her voice was so soothing it was hard to resist. Somehow, he got the feeling she might be helpful – and right now, as Prompto reminded himself, he did need any help possible to get back to Noctis’s side. 

Narrowing his eyes, Prompto scanned the empty darkness, spotting a tiny white spot in the distance. He hadn’t seen it before. How had it appeared there? The light was flickering like a star, feeling so very inviting to Prompto. He did want to go to it. The tiny light was almost calling his name and promising that everything would turn out to be fine if he just went to see it. So Prompto did. He started to walk toward the flickering star, which grew bigger and bigger the closer Prompto got. Its sharp edges smoothed, becoming almost transparent, and the center beamed out beautiful, white light, which filled Prompto’s chest with ease. He liked that light. It felt nice and calming.

“Good, you are almost there. Step in and I’ll meet up with you. Fear not, child. It’s completely safe,” the warm female voice told Prompto when he was almost in front of this now oval shaped light.  It was almost like a doorframe or a wormhole to somewhere, its soothing radiance lighting Prompto’s tear stained face with a gentle light.

Quickly gulping down the last remains of his nervousness, Prompto jumped into the light, stumbling down and landing miserably on his nose on something soft: Something very, very soft and nice smelling. He pushed himself up to his arms, shaking his head. Small, white flower petals dropped down from his face and hair, swaying playfully in the air and landing on the greenest grass Prompto had ever seen. The grass was so soft to touch, so silky to run his hand in, and when Prompto’s gaze lifted up from his hands he saw an army of the most beautiful small flowers spreading in front of him. They were swaying in the warm wind, dancing joyfully, and Prompto could tell that they were actually smiling at him. They smiled like humans did, but with no faces, no mouth. Just swayed around him curiously, smiling with their souls.

Prompto had never seen or experienced anything like this, but it – for some very strange reason – felt absolutely logical and natural. Like flowers were supposed to smile at you and wave their petals and leaves in your direction with warm greetings.

Someone else was also smiling at Prompto with short chuckles, standing next to his side in the flower field. Prompto looked up hastily, just to meet face to face with a beautiful woman with black, flowing hair and bright eyes. She was wearing a pale, flowy, summer dress, and oddly, Prompto couldn’t tell what color it actually was. It could have been white, or pale green or pale blue. Or maybe it was constantly changing its color as the fabric vibrated and danced in the wind around her body. This woman, who had a face so compelling Prompto couldn’t tear his eyes away from her, was absolutely stunning and radiating warmth similar to a mother who gazed down at their child playing among the flowers. She chuckled at him again.

Prompto teetered up hastily, embarrassed of his landfall.

“Are you alright, young man? That was quite a fall,” the woman next to Prompto asked, her eyes fixating peacefully on Prompto.

Prompto rubbed his upper arm, causing the last of the flower petals to fall down from him.

“Yeah, but… I feel sorry for the flowers I messed up,” he admitted, but the woman waved her palm.

“They don’t mind. They are happy they could see you and play with you a little while,” she told Prompto like it was a completely normal thing to communicate with flowers, or play with them. Prompto didn’t know what to answer, so he went for a question instead.

“Whe—Where am I? Am I dead?” he asked once more, horrified when he thought that the woman would say yes.

“You’re not dead, don’t look so afraid.” She smiled at him. “We’re in a garden.”

“A… A garden?” Prompto was honestly boggled. 

The woman only gestured for Prompto to take a look around him. Indeed, they were in a garden. The most beautiful, exotic garden, where everything was in a perfect balance. It was more beautiful than any of the Tenebrean gardens he had seen photos of and dreamed to shoot someday himself. There were beautiful vines hanging lazily here and there among the white, marble, garden building in the short distance; so white and pure in its color that it looked like it was made just yesterday. Fields of flowers were waving in the wind, even though none blew. Blossoming bushes decorated the garden neatly and small walking stones snaked across the field for whoever wanted to enjoy the garden without stepping on the delicate flowers. Prompto could hear some birds in the distance, too. When he took a closer look at his surroundings he noticed there was sky and yet no sky at all; it was bright, almost like it was made from light, but the light didn’t look like it was coming from the sun. Actually, Prompto couldn’t tell the source of the light; as a photographer, he should have been able to tell that. 

“It’s very beautiful, isn’t it?” the woman asked, and quickly Prompto turned his head back to her.

“Yes, it is,” he agreed hesitantly. “Listen, eh… Ma’am. I’d like to stay but I really need to get back home.”

“I understand. Please, come this way; I will show you where the exit is...so to speak,” she flashed Prompto a wink and a grin, turned around and started to walk slowly forward. Prompto followed her and she silently urged him to come walk next to her.

“Please, relax, my child. There’s no need to panic. Everything will turn out fine,” she said to him as soon as he had stepped next to her. 

“I hope so,” Prompto murmured, rather sad. “I don’t know what happened but I have a feeling I screwed up big time.”

“Well, you aren’t supposed to be here, but don’t worry; this will only be a short trip,” she replied to Prompto. Prompto noticed that the more she spoke, the calmer he felt himself. She had a very soothing voice and a loving presence. It reminded Prompto of his own mother. He missed her.

“Are you a goddess?” Prompto suddenly asked, his head perking up. “If you are, I—”

“Oh no, not at all. I’m nothing so important.” She laughed at him quite heartily.

“Oh… I thought that you might be, Shiva being Noct’s guardian and all,” Prompto muttered, mostly to himself.

She smiled at Prompto warmly, but said nothing. Her pace with barefooted steps was very peaceful and calm, and the longer they walked in the garden, which seemed to never end, the calmer Prompto felt himself. He could tell the place was somehow magical – wherever he was – and there was an odd sensation of love and belonging there. It felt… almost like home. Like a real home. It boggled Prompto and yet, at the same time, a part of him was convinced that this feeling of hominess was a natural thing; just as the flowers singing and playing with you was.

Lead by the woman with black, flowing hair, the pair started walking down small stairs towards a thicker part of the garden. It was more intimate than the grand yard outside of the marble structure, and tall rose bushes rose up high, side by side, alongside the stony pathway. Prompto was forced to walk behind the woman due to the narrow space. While walking among the roses Prompto was sure he could hear them humming something with the tiniest voices - like singing. He wanted to stop to listen to them more carefully, to see if he really was hearing it or if he was just imagining things, but he followed the woman’s lead instead.

Maybe this was a hallucination of some sort? Perhaps he was still in the village but his mind had drifted off somewhere? Had he hit his head in the Behemoth rampage?

“We’re almost there,” she called to Prompto over her shoulder and Prompto noticed he had momentarily stopped in his tracks by the last thought. Hastily, he ran to catch up with her.

The woman led Prompto to the back of the rose alley, where a soft pond rippled with shimmering sparkles, flower petals flying smoothly in the air and swimming on the pond’s clear surface. Trees with bending, blooming branches framed the pond, like bowing down for its honor. Prompto had never seen a pond so beautiful, not even among all the photographs he had seen from around Eos. 

“You must be wondering what’s going on.” The woman turned around to look at Prompto with her blue eyes. 

“If you know anything, please tell me,” Prompto pleaded, suddenly again afraid that he was indeed dead and the lady was just telling him jokes so that he wouldn’t completely freak out when she finally told him of his death.

“This is a work of the Goddess herself, I can tell it,” she began quietly. “She brought you here – or, well, close by, so to say – but only for a moment. You aren’t dead and no one’s going to keep you here. You can go back home.”

“But why? Why would a Goddess do that?” Prompto frowned, his lips pursing. He paled suddenly. “Have I done something wrong?! Did I somehow insult Shiva or the Astrals? Is it because I’m...” He couldn’t finish his sentence. He couldn’t say out loud what he was.

She cocked her head, a wide smile spreading on her lips and eyes.

“You will understand it all later,” she simply replied, which didn’t ease Prompto’s mind a bit.

“I… I don’t get it… If I have done something wrong, I apologize,” he said sullenly.

“You may call this sort of a divine intervention,” the woman said in a motherly way after seeing Prompto’s pout with the frown. “Nothing serious for you, I promise.”

“You sure?” Prompto took a look at the woman from underneath his pale eyebrows.

“Positive. Nothing to worry about.”

“How’s Noct?” Prompto asked, hoping she’d know something of him. 

She crossed her arms over her chest, eyes soft.

“You can go to take a look at that yourself.”

“Please!” Prompto cried, stepping hastily closer to the woman. “Please, let me go home. Noctis needs my help; I promised to help him with this mission. I promised I wouldn’t leave his side until he found his wife and got the crown. I promised to be the best man at his wedding. I can’t let Noctis down. I can’t leave him like that,” he explained hastily. 

“You are right; Noctis does need your help. There’s a thing that only you can do to help him out with his Divine Mission,” the woman agreed with Prompto, taking him by surprise.

“So, you know about Noct’s mission?” he asked, surprised.

“Oh, why yes. I know all about the crown prince.” She gave Prompto a small, mysterious grin from the corner of her lips.

Prompto blushed.

“Are you sure you’re not a goddess of some sort when you can peep on people like that?” he asked, hoping she hadn’t been checking them out when he had been kissing with Noctis.

“I assure you, I’m not,” she laughed. 

“And you say only I can help Noctis with something?” Prompto asked, making sure he had heard her right. She nodded.

“Yes.”

“But… Ignis and Gladio are there too…” Prompto replied with a stammering voice. He was fumbling his fingers. “I’m just a no-good best friend.”

“Best friends are important. Sometimes the most important,” she reminded him, the motherly tone returning to her voice. Before Prompto could argue back anything more, she pointed at the pond with her open palm.

“Please, dive into the clear waters of that pond. It will take you back home. You will see your friend then.”

“…Dive in, just like that?” Prompto asked, unsure. Jumping into unknown water was never a good idea. He hesitated.

“It’s completely safe. Water is a strong energy channel. It will channel you back where you should be,” the woman explained.

“What if I get lost?” Prompto whined. He was honestly afraid he’d end up in another darkness or something worse, and the next time there wouldn’t be any lovely, helpful ladies to bail him out. 

“The Goddess won’t let that happen. Remember, I told you that you are needed regarding Noctis’s Divine Mission.”

“…Do I have to hold my breath?” Prompto took a cautious step closer to the pond’s edge, afraid he would accidentally slip into it. That would have been embarrassing.  

“You may do that, if it eases your mind,” the woman answered. 

Prompto was already knee deep in the pond when the woman halted him.

“Hold on, young one. Can you do a favor for me?” she asked, making Prompto turn around. He didn’t have time to say yes before she was standing at the edge of the pond, her body bent over to reach closer to Prompto. Her hand was in front of Prompto and something shimmered on her open palm.

“Please, take this to Noctis. I think the Goddess will allow me to do this, for Noctis’s sake,” she said softly.

Prompto carefully took the tiny item from her hold, holding it between his fingers. It was a blue, tear-drop shaped earring. Very elegant and beautiful. Most likely very expensive, Prompto assumed internally. He pushed it into his jeans pocket, as far and deep as possible to make sure he wouldn’t drop it.

“I’ll see to it that Noctis gets this,” Prompto promised with a nod, though he really hadn’t any idea why he was asked to deliver such an item. Maybe it was some sort of divine item?

“The pond will take you where you should be,” the woman reminded Prompto the final time when Prompto was almost neck deep in the pond. He was starting to tremble a bit in a fear… What if he messed this up? He had nothing else to trust than this unknown woman’s words.

“Until we meet again someday.” The woman bid a farewell to Prompto and he took it as a sign that it was his time to go. He took a deep, deep inhale and pinched his nose closed, diving into the middle of the pond. He was horribly scared yet determined and one hundred percent sure that he needed to return back to Noctis. Boy, Noct would never believe this when he told him about it! He wanted to see Noctis’s face when he told him about this encounter. He could already imagine his eyes widening in surprise.

Nothing seemed to happen underwater, though Prompto had expected something to occur after pressing his head under the surface. When Prompto was sure he couldn’t hold his breath anymore and his lungs screamed at him to get back to the surface, the pond’s water whirled around his body. It yanked Prompto’s hand away from his nose and he yelped out loud, drawing air into his lungs. But strangely, the water didn’t suffocate him like he had feared.  It pulled him deeper into the current, it’s whirling motion hurting Prompto’s eyes. It looked like a wormhole and when the speed of his body advancing in this odd tunnel only increased, Prompto couldn’t help the thought that what if this was some divine sewer and the nice lady had basically flushed him from her garden. 

The trip was over faster than Prompto anticipated and he thudded onto a solid ground, a sharp gasp leaving his chest when he hit the ground. It wasn’t soft and tender like the flower field had been. Quite the opposite. Shaking his completely soaked hair, which was flat against his scalp, Prompto pushed himself up to his knees. He brushed his wet hair away from his eyes, expecting to be in the same spot where he had disappeared from.

Instead, he was in a garden. Yet again. 

But this time, the garden was familiar.

“What the hell?!” Prompto staggered on his feet hastily, eyes wide. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. “I’m… I’m in Lucis’s palace?”

Indeed, the garden opening around Prompto was none other than Lucis’s palace’s very own indoor garden. Prompto panicked. He wasn’t supposed to be here. The guys were still in Niflheim and he had to get there – the sooner the better. Cursing that the woman had clearly sent him to a wrong place, Prompto picked his phone from his pants pocket, just to see it was as soaked as himself. A large puddle had already spread all around his feet and Prompto cursed once more his rotten luck, just to be cut off by a sound of running. He could tell a group of people were coming in his direction and in a second he was surrounded by the palace guards, who had rushed in with such a force Prompto actually screamed out loud and threw his hands into air. The palace guards were pointing guns at him and who else but Cor, The Immortal himself, jogged into the scene, his face utterly surprised.

“Cor!” Prompto called to him as soon as he saw Cor’s familiar figure.

Cor was staring at him, completely dazed, but then his face became serious, eyes narrowing quickly. He signaled the guards to lower their weapons from Prompto’s face and nodded his head sideways to the closest of the guards.

“Mir, message the Young Highness now. Everyone else, back to your positions.”

Prompto followed with his eyes how the guards rushed out from the garden as fast as they had appeared there. Everything happened so fast and efficiently in Lucis’s palace, he noted to himself.

Prompto took a cautious step closer to Cor, his face apologetic for causing an alarm.

“Good to see you here, Prompto. We’ve been waiting for you,” Cor said before Prompto could utter a word.

“I need to get to Niflheim,” Prompto said quickly, noticing how his body was starting to shiver from coldness, “Noct’s there with Ignis and Gladio due the mission and I---“

“Here, take this,” Cor was taking his jacket off and handling it on Prompto. “Take your wet shirt and jacket off. Boots and socks, too. We’ll get you dry pants later,” he told Prompto, completely ignoring Prompto’s urgent haste to get back to Niflheim to help Noctis out.

“O—okay. Thanks,” Prompto thanked Cor timidly, unsure if it was indeed alright to get his jacket all wet. Yet he did as Cor had requested, pulling Cor’s warm and dry jacket over his naked upper torso. His feet felt cold when he managed to pull his boots off – which were difficult to get off due to them being filled with water. When Prompto was finally free from the soaked garments Cor had demanded he take off, he straightened his back to speak with Cor, but he halted. He saw movement from the corner of his eye, behind Cor, and turned his head toward it, seeing a very, very familiar figure at the garden’s entrance.

It was Noctis. In a gym outfit, with loose sweatpants and a black tank top, breathing heavily and covered in sweat. His hair was long and almost flat compared to the style Prompto had last seen on him, and it had been neatly combed to the sides of his face - the face which looked somehow strange to Prompto. Like… like Noctis had aged since the last time they met. Prompto blinked his eyes.

“No—Noct?” he called out with a stutter, and Noctis, at the door frame, started to shake. He rushed, as fast as it was ever possible, to Prompto, throwing himself into Prompto’s neck and squeezing him against his chest with a loud cry.

“Prompto!” Noctis wailed, trembling from head to toe. “Oh, my god, Prompto…!”

“Noctis…?” Prompto asked timidly but the man in his arms didn’t answer anything, only bawled loudly. Prompto didn’t know what was going on. Why was he in the palace, and why was Noctis here, too? But this man, who cried sorrowfully into his neck, was awfully similar to Noctis. He sounded like Noctis. Smelled like him. And when Prompto wrapped his arms hesitantly around his midsection, he let out a broken sob similar to the one Prompto had heard coming from Noctis’s lips at the Orior Tower’s toilet, when Noctis had cried in his embrace. Noctis whimpered sadly into Prompto’s ear.

“I have missed you, missed you so much!” Noctis kept crying, kissing Prompto’s cheek, neck, ear, and temple of his head - anywhere where his mouth blindly landed, he placed a kiss full of pure devotion and love there. Prompto was blushing furiously.

“Noct…! Stop it… Cor’s here…” Prompto tried, taking an embarrassed, quick glance at Cor, who was standing nearby, his eyes nailed to Prompto and Noctis. Prompto was feeling awkward and unsure of everything.

The man who reminded him of Noctis didn’t listen, just kept kissing Prompto’s face and hugging him tighter, crying with big, gigantic tears, his wailing turning into bursts of laughter, which mixed with throaty whimpers. Noctis hair, face, and shirt were now wet with Prompto, too.

“I love you, I love you so much,” Noctis wailed between laughs and deep weeps, nuzzling himself only closer to Prompto. He trembled even more now.

Prompto’s blush on his cheeks deepened. He opened his mouth to remind Noctis once more that Cor was here.

“Oh, let me look at you,” Noctis said, withdrawing himself away from Prompto’s embrace. His hands cupped Prompto’s face and his blue eyes stared at Prompto through the wetness of his eyelashes. His face twisted.

“Oh god, it really is you,” Noctis managed to say with hiccups, petting Prompto’s hair and proceeding to kiss his cheeks on the left and right with multiple pecks.

Prompto was sure the blush from his cheeks would never die down now. 

“No—Noct…!” he tried once more, hoping to sound at least a bit scolding, but failing rather miserably with it. His hands rose up to Noctis’s shoulders. 

Noctis cried desperately with a hollow voice into Prompto’s shoulder, shaking like a leaf. Prompto was getting only more and more confused by each passing minute. He hugged Noctis back, hoping it would ease him up - if this was Noctis and not some hallucination or some trick of that strange lady. Everything was so strange he was starting to suspect this was indeed a hallucination. 

Where the hell had the woman sent him?

“Your Highness,” Cor called Noctis after a long moment of nothing but Noctis’s lamenting echoing in the garden.

Noctis lifted his head up towards Cor, but didn’t let go of Prompto. He sobbed.

“I think we need to let Prompto get out of his wet pants and into something warmer,” Cor simply stated.

Noctis’s tear filled eyes widened.

“O—Of course! I’m sorry, Prompto. I---I’m just…” He looked for the right words to accompany his apology, stammering. He took a hold of Prompto’s hands with both of his hands. His hands were shaking visibly. “This way. I'll take you to the nearest bathroom. Cor, can you call servants to bring Prompto some of my clothes? He can borrow those.”

“As you wish.” Cor simply bowed, watching how Noctis urged Prompto to follow him quickly, holding Prompto by his hand. 

Prompto was completely dazed, his head feeling light and airy. He wanted to stop Noctis in the middle of the hallway, but to be honest, he was feeling so cold by now that he made up his mind to accept the towels and warm clothes first. After that, they could talk, without his teeth clattering, and he could try to figure out what was going on. Prompto noticed how the palace was suddenly sort of swarming; people were rushing back and forth, their eyes all locked on him, whispering and muttering coming from their mouths as they went by. Prompto wondered if his blush was still that visible or if it was just the fact that he was completely soaked while being indoors – or was it a cardinal etiquette mistake to be without a shirt inside a palace, as he hadn’t had time to button Cor’s jacket on? He didn’t dare ask.

Noctis guided Prompto with determined steps to the nearest royal bathroom, letting go of his hand when they got inside. He rummaged hastily through the tall cupboard for the biggest towel he could possibly find, tossing smaller towels on the floor. Noctis handed the big towel to Prompto, shaking.

“Here,” he said, and Prompto paled.

“You’re shaking, Noct.”

“…It’s fine. Dry yourself. Your hair looks miserable when it’s completely flat like that,” Noctis joked, but in the bright light of the bathroom Prompto could tell that Noctis looked tired. So very, very tired. Tired and sad and… slightly older. He was trembling visibly, his eyes and cheeks wet. He looked somehow miserable. Had he gotten thinner, too?

Prompto didn’t know what to say to Noctis, but accepted the given black towel. The bathroom’s door opened after Noctis answered to a knock, and a female servant stepped in with a folded pile of Noctis’s clothes.

“Here, Your Highness. I brought a few different options,” she said with a slight bow. Noctis took the pile from her with thanks, and she left them in the bathroom alone. Prompto was worried that Noctis would fall over from his shakiness. 

Prompto stripped down and dried himself, feeling sorry for getting Cor’s jacket wet. Noctis was standing with his back turned to Prompto when Prompto got himself into Noctis’s clothes, and Prompto couldn’t help his eyes wandering to Noctis. He could hear that Noctis was still sobbing quietly, though he did his best to hide it. Silently, Prompto pulled Noctis’s hoodie over his head, hesitantly reaching his arm toward Noctis. His fingertips touched Noctis’s back lightly. He jolted.

“You’re still shaking,” Prompto mumbled, his voice unsure.

Noctis turned hastily around and pounced on Prompto. Jumped straight onto his lips, wrapping Prompto in an intense embrace, his kiss so burning and demanding on Prompto’s mouth that Prompto felt like he was being crushed by the sheer force of those emotions pouring out from Noctis. Prompto was taken by surprise by Noctis’s onslaught and he let out a muffled yelp. He barely stayed on his feet.

“I love you so much, Prompto,” Noctis sobbed into his mouth with a pained tone, kissing him again with quivering, sobbing lips. “Love you so much.” 

“No—” Prompto managed to say until Noctis’s lips silenced him again. Prompto was shocked  – he knew he shouldn’t let Noctis kiss him. It would… it would make his heart ache for Noctis and he… He couldn’t… He shouldn’t let Noctis hold him like that… Even if this wasn’t real, it felt too real for him to let Noctis continue kissing him. They shouldn’t…!

“I’ve been so worried.” Noctis broke the kiss with a sharp sob, once more covering Prompto’s whole face with his loving pecks. “I wanted to go look for you but I couldn’t… Oh, I’m so glad you are alive…! I thought… I thought…” His voice broke down. He couldn’t finish that sentence.  He pressed his head down and wailed loudly, unable to keep his voice down. His long bangs hid his face, shoulders trembling with his empty cries. Prompto petted Noctis’s head softly and Noctis clung onto him only tighter. He held him so tight Prompto’s sides were aching. 

“Noctis I—,“ Prompto stuttered, feeling how his eyes were starting to get moist. He didn’t want to see Noctis sad and there he was: crying in his hold and it was all Prompto’s fault, that much he could tell. He felt a horrible, horrible sting of guilt in the pit of his stomach. Even if this was a hallucination, it pained his chest. 

“Where have you been?” Noctis asked between his sobs, his head buried into Prompto’s collar. “Please, tell me that you are alright. Please, tell me that nothing bad happened to you. Please, tell me you didn’t call my name and I couldn’t hear you. I swear I tried. I did my best to hear your voice but I couldn’t…”

Prompto’s heart was wrenching. He couldn’t admit out loud that he had called Noctis in that empty darkness. He swallowed.

“Noct…”

“Forgive me, I couldn’t protect you,” Noctis whimpered with the saddest tone Prompto had ever heard coming from him, “Please, forgive me. I promised I’d have your back and I couldn’t… I… Prompto, I--!”

“It’s alright!” Prompto hastily cut Noctis off, urging him to look at him. “…It’s fine, Noct. I’m fine,” he said while looking at Noctis’s face. Seeing him so close made Prompto feel even more uneasy. He could definitely see dark circles around Noctis’s narrow eyes. His cheekbones were higher and nose more prominent. His cheeks were stained with huge tears which still ran down towards his chin and dropped on his shirt.

“Please, tell me what happened?” Noctis requested with a quiet tone, seeking out Prompto’s hand and guiding it against his moist cheek. His palm stayed over Prompto’s palm softly. “I’ve missed you so much…”

Prompto blushed. Noctis was… acting all weird. Perhaps… Perhaps this was a dream? Or some other strange place, like that strange garden? Some place which was almost like the reality but with smaller, differing details, like Noctis’s hair and face shape and how lovingly Noctis treated him. Prompto was starting to suspect that his earlier worry that this was a trick of that woman was true. Perhaps she had sent him into the wrong reality? Weren’t there multiple universes? At least, Prompto had heard about them.

Prompto’s lips opened but it took him a while to form a sentence. His heart was pounding too fast to concentrate on thinking. Whether this Noctis was real or not, he made Prompto’s heart beat rapidly nevertheless. On top of that, Prompto had now managed to scare himself with his earlier thoughts of where he was and what was happening. 

“I… I don’t know,” Prompto began, cheeks red from the sudden closeness of Noctis, and the memory of Cor seeing Noctis kissing his face like that. “I… I was in this… this darkness. This emptiness. And then there was a woman’s voice that guided me into a light, which took me into this… eh…. garden of some sort. It was very pretty.” 

“And?” Noctis was listening, his voice thin. He wasn’t tearing up anymore.

“Ah, uh… She told me I had to come back to help you. She knew about your Divine Mission. So uh, she sent me here through this odd pond. I… I honestly don’t know what happened.”

“How did you get into that darkness?” 

“I… I uh…I don’t know how I got there. I thought I was dead and it freaked me out.”

Big tears broke silently in Noctis’s eyes, rolling down onto his cheeks and Prompto’s fingers.

“I thought you were dead, too.” He hiccupped sadly. “That was the worst feeling ever. I don’t ever want to feel like that again. I… I was…”

Prompto swallowed a tight feeling of guilt down to his stomach.

“…I’m sorry…” he said, but Noctis shook his head hastily, his bangs swinging with the motion. 

“Please, tell me one more thing: what is your last memory? Before you woke up in darkness,” he asked, looking down.

Prompto blinked, his mouth opening. 

“Aaah, uh… We… we were in that small town. In Niflheim. You were fighting with a Behemoth. That’s all I can remember. Then I just… sorta was in this darkness. I’m sorry…”

“Don’t be. That’s good,” Noctis said. His head pressed even lower. He hiccupped. “It’s all good now, Prompto. You’re home”. 

To Prompto it seemed like Noctis was speaking mostly for himself. He still couldn’t decide if this was real or not. The longer this continued, the more uneasy Prompto felt. He almost wanted to pull his hand away from Noctis.

“Am… Am I really in Lucis’s Palace?” Prompto asked, getting a series of nods from Noctis.

“Yes.” He sniveled.

“Then… Then why are you here? You should be in Niflheim, waiting for answer from Stella,” Prompto said with a frown. 

Noctis’s lifted his chin up slowly, his eyes capturing Prompto’s frowning stare. He removed Prompto’s palm from his cheek and chuckled strangely, letting go of his hand.

“That’s… That’s not a current thing now.” He licked his lips.

“Wh—What does that mean?” Prompto’s frown drew stronger on his forehead. He cocked his eyebrow slowly. “...Isn’t the mission still going on? Now that I think of it, I remember Ignis saying that we couldn’t come to Lucis’s palace until the mission is over - and yet here you are, in a training outfit. This…. Alright, listen lady!” Prompto suddenly turned around on his heels, and looked up at the ceiling of the bathroom with an angry scowl. “I know you can hear me! So listen - this has to stop. No more strange places! Take me to Noctis.”

Noctis was following the scene with a puzzled look.

“To whom are you talking to?” he asked, looking at the ceiling like he was hoping to see someone there.

Prompto huffed through his nostrils.

“This dark-haired woman who I met in that garden. I know this must be her trick because she sent me through that pond. You don’t look like Noctis, so she has clearly remodeled you, a fake prince, wrong. You should be in a different place and I know the mission is still going so you can’t be here,” Prompto explained to Noctis, turning then to look at the ceiling again angrily, “So, hag, take me back to the real Noctis!”

“Remodeled a fake prince? And got it wrong?” Noctis’s tone was both amused and curious. He placed his hand over Prompto’s shoulder. 

“Don’t try that with me. I know my best friend Noctis any day!” Prompto spat over his shoulder at Noctis.

Noctis looked like he wanted to argue back something, but instead of a witty reply, his face melted into a forlorn expression.

“Listen, Prompto…” he began, forcing the angry Prompto to turn face to face with him by guiding him by his shoulders. “There’s… something I need to tell you. Well… Actually, a few things I need to tell you, but… first things first.”

“Hit me.” Prompto snorted, still pissed at the fact that that nice lady hadn’t been so nice after all, but was sending him to wrong places. Like he wouldn’t notice that. She had to try harder to convince Prompto.

Noctis cleared his throat, his eyes averting away from Prompto. 

“I uh… I don’t know how I should put this… That Niflheim town… We were there. All of us. The Behemoth fight did happen.”

“Were?” Prompto repeated.

Noctis looked guilty.

“I dashed after that one beast and heard afterwards from Gladio and Ignis that you had run after me. So, I went back after the fight was over because I didn’t remember seeing you. I… I couldn’t find you. No one could. We… We searched all the places. Waited for days. We—”

“Wait, wait, what?! Days?” Prompto whined, but then composed himself quickly. “No, that’s… I’m not listening to this nonsense. I dema---“

“Prompto, please!” Noctis yelped with a darkening face, taking a hold of Prompto by his upper arms with both hands. “Please, listen. I’m not done yet.”

“You’re honestly telling me I was gone for days?” Prompto’s tone was cold. It hit Noctis fair and square and his eyes narrowed. 

“We waited for you for a long time but we couldn’t find you and… and… the guys said that… that most likely one of the Behemoths ate you and I… I couldn’t believe it,” Noctis hissed frustratedly between his teeth, chin lowering. “I… I thought I lost you. I thought you were gone. Oh god, Prompto! I thought you were dead and gone forever…! Like mom!” his shoulders trembled as he spoke with a breaking voice. “I was so, so sad. So devastated.”

Prompto was quiet. 

“We came back to Insomnia because of me. That was… that was…” Noctis’s breath was hitching and he gulped, “…two years ago.”

“Two years?” Prompto yelled with a furious face. “That’s bullshit! This must be a joke from that hag. Or a delusion of some sort. Two years! I was in that garden and darkness maybe twenty minutes max. There’s no way it’s been two years! I don’t know what that strange woman wants from me or you but I’m not buying this.”

Noctis shot a begging look at Prompto.

“I’m not lying, Prompto!” Noctis yelled back at him, desperate. “You think that I’d lie to you, especially about something like this? About something that has been tormenting me for so long?”

“You’re a delusion, like this world, too.” Prompto didn’t give up. He was determined to get back to the real Noctis, sure that this was indeed a joke. He had had enough.

“This is real!” Noctis’s voice got louder, his face twisted with sadness and anger. “Look. I’ve got the bracelet you gave me at Galdin Quay when I turned 21,” he said with a determined tone, pushing his wrist hastily under Prompto’s nose. “And I still have the Tampered’s volume 7 saved for you. You asked to read it. With the cute Mari bath scenes and the revelation of Ellen’s position in the marshal’s lines. I have all the volumes now. It ended last summer with its final volume. You can have them all for yourself if you want to. I gladly give them to you as long as you believe me.”

The longer Noctis spoke, the paler Prompto got. He stared at Noctis’s bracelet with huge eyes.

It… It was his bracelet. One of the studs was missing, right from the spot it had been missing since Prompto had accidentally fallen over during his morning jog and scraped the bracelet. 

He knew his stuff when he saw it.

Tears started to spill slowly down on Prompto’s face, his lips quivering. But he didn’t cry out loud. 

“…That is mine…” he admitted cautiously, his eyes fixed on Noctis’s wrist.

“And your chocobo! The stuffed one from the street lottery! I have it in my bedroom,” Noctis yelped.

Prompto’s face twisted.

“My Pickle-Tickle…” he whimpered.

“Remember the closed bathroom at the Orior Tower? We kissed there; I asked you to kiss me. I… I was so happy when you said yes.” Noctis swallowed down a sob. “And we kissed at that Haven’s edge, too, when you were down because you felt guilty for causing the gay rumors. And the nightmare… Oh, Prompto, the nightmare!” Noctis yelled, his head perking up. “It was about you! It was Shiva’s message about you! I saw you running in the darkness and you stopped when a beautiful woman’s voice spoke out! I saw the dream again when you had disappeared and I got a clear vision of the figure and it was you!” Noctis was explaining with a hasty speed, his speech racing out from his lips.

Prompto blinked through his tears, his lips parting slowly. He could feel how his legs were becoming weaker.

“That’s… That’s what happened… I was running in the darkness, hoping to find an exit or some way out. Then the lady spoke to me and I stopped. She had such a beautiful voice.”

“Unearthly beautiful,” Noctis said.

Prompto nodded slowly, agreeing.

“Unearthly beautiful.”

Noctis’s eyes had tears glimmering in the corners. He looked at Prompto lovingly.

“Do you believe me now, Prompto? This isn’t a delusion or some strange place like that garden or darkness you visited. This is real. The reality. And I’m definitely the real prince Noctis, not a fake,” he joked despite his teary eyes. 

Prompto looked back at Noctis for a long time then pinched his own cheek quickly, yelping when it actually hurt. It underlined the fact that this couldn’t be a dream. Prompto’s head spun, making the bathroom take a few rounds around in his eyes. He staggered, taking a hold of the nearby wall. Noctis was immediately under his arm, supporting him by throwing his arm over his shoulders. Prompto’s knees trembled visibly. 

“It… It can’t be,” he breathed out, distressed, “I was gone only a few minutes and… two years? Two full years?”

“Slightly more than two years,” Noctis affirmed him.

Prompto sobbed.

“Really? I… I… Oh, Noct, I…”, he sobbed sadly into his forearm, unable to speak. He felt sick.

This couldn’t be. Two years? Had he really been gone for two years? He had just chatted with the woman for a while and walked in the garden. And now Noctis was telling him he had been gone for so long. He…

“It’s okay, don’t worry about it,” Noctis said, knowing what Prompto was thinking, but Prompto knew he was lying. He knew Noctis. He had seen his eyes already and how tired they looked. He could hear from Noctis’s tone that him being gone for two years wasn’t okay. Not even close to it.

“Shiva! Your mission!” Prompto’s head shot up suddenly, eyes wide. He wobbled a bit, trying to comprehend what was going on. His head hurt. “Why are you here? Is it over? Are you the king? Please tell me you found a good wife.”

Noctis cleared his throat nervously at Prompto’s blabbering.

“It’s not over yet but let’s not talk about that. Not now,” he said. “I want to spend some time with you now that you’re finally back. I can’t believe you are here. You came back as suddenly as you disappeared… I’m… I’m so happy.” Noctis wept with a smile on his face. “Gladio and Ignis and Iris will want to meet you, too.”

“You… You missed me?” Prompto asked, unsure.

Noctis smiled at Prompto despite his tears. His hold around Prompto’s waist tightened

“Of course. Too much. I…” he began, then closed his lips softly. “Never mind. I’m happy you’re here. Let’s go. I’ll ask someone to dry your pants.”

“Ah, Noctis! I forgot!” Prompto gasped loudly under Noctis’s arm, waving his hand towards his wet pants despite sensing how the strength from his arm was fading away. “The lady gave me something which she asked to deliver to you.”

“What? That woman you met?” Noctis was boggled. Prompto nodded hastily, his hand waving increasing.

“Yes. Some jewel of some sort. It’s in my left pocket – hopefully.”

Noctis let go of Prompto slowly, making sure he wasn’t going to wobble. He let Prompto sit on the floor, as his legs were still too shaky.

Prompto watched Noctis tugging his pants up from the floor and searching the pocket. In all honestly, Prompto was feeling sick, but he forced himself to stay there with Noctis.

He… He had missed him. Noctis had missed him. Had waited for him for two years.

Noctis had cried into his neck that he loved him.

That was… Prompto mentally shook his head and pushed the sickening feeling down to his stomach. Of course Noctis would say something like that. He was his best friend. Noctis was…

Noctis fished the item from Prompto’s wet pocket and inspected it closely. His head tilted toward his right shoulder, eyes narrowing. He looked pale all of a sudden.

“Where did you get this?” he asked, gasping at Prompto, showing him the blue teardrop shaped earring.

“Like I said, the woman gave it to me,” Prompto replied. His skin was starting to be covered with a cold sweat.

“What did she look like?” Noctis’s tone was serious. Prompto blinked.

“Eh, she was very pretty. Long, black, sleek hair and blue eyes. Very kind face. She was wearing some pale dress. I’m not sure of its color.”

Noctis closed the earring into his palm, his head pressing down. He looked both shaken and serious.

“Prompto, this… this is my mom’s earring.”

“Your mother’s?!” Prompto cried, his body jolting up.

“She had these on when the daemon ambush happened. I have the other one in my treasure box in my room. It was given to me as a memento of mom before her burial. The other one was lost in the ambush. I know my father wanted to find both of the earrings so that we both could have a memento of mom. She loved these. Dad gave these to her.”

“But… But that can’t be…!” Prompto tried to mumble. 

“Prompto… I think you met my mother.” Noctis’s lips were pressed tightly together. His look on Prompto was dead serious. Prompto’s head spun even faster now.

“I… I..” Prompto began, trying to find the right words. He pushed himself up with the help of the wall behind him. “So… So it was the Afterlife? I died? Did I die? I… Is this real? I…” He could feel how the cold shiver was shaking his body. “Oh man, I… I’m not feeling well…”

“Prompto!” Noctis called his name as Prompto wobbled to the nearby sink and threw up from the bottom of his stomach.

He felt utterly, horribly sick. His muscles ached and his body felt heavy.

“Prompto, are you okay?” Noctis was patting his back immediately, opening the sink’s tap to flush away Prompto’s guts’ contents. He vomited once more with his whole body convulsing before managing to reply to Noctis with a wordless groan.

“It’s okay, it’s okay, Prom-Prom. Just take it easy.” Noctis kept talking soothingly.

Prompto barely heard Noctis. This was all becoming too much to bear. His legs felt like jelly and there was a loud humming in his head. He felt dizzy, horribly, horribly dizzy and nauseous. This was too much. He had gone to the land of death, been gone for two years, causing apparent trouble to Noctis – and in Prompto’s books, that all had happened in the last 30 minutes.

His head couldn’t take it. Too much too-crazy information.

Prompto remembered calling Noctis’s name right before his legs gave in and he fell once again into darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompto's experience was inspired by near-death experiences (which you can read from Near-Death Experience Research Foundation's page if interested!) and also from my own scary out-of-the body experience, where I ended up into this dark emptiness.


	20. The Fated Queen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Noctis is reunited with Prompto.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GUYS, GUYS, I need to thank you all for your comments, feedback, bookmarks and kudos as The Loveless Prince is in TOP 3 Fic List in multiple categories in FFXV's section - being the top FFXV fic in all of the current fics! I couldn't have done it without you reading and interacting with this fic. I couldn't have done it without all the proofreaders, old and current ones. THANK YOU!
> 
> Thank you Shake-your-mane for a quick cover when I had messed things up!
> 
> Next chapter is already proofread and will be updated maybe next week or so :3  
> After chapter 21 the update pace will most likely slow down as I have been writing slowly for the last 3 months (May being a month when I couldn't write at all).

 

"Your Highness!”

Noctis’s weekly gym regimen was interrupted by one of the palace guards yanking open the palace gym’s door. Noctis put the weights in his hands back on the rack and sat up with a sharp exhale. The guard at the door looked hasty.

“Yeah?” Noctis asked.

“Mr. Argentum is here,” the guard stated, voice wavering slightly.

Noctis was sure he had heard the guard wrong. His eyebrow rose up slowly.

“Excuse me?” he whispered with a small chuckle.

“Mr. Argentum is here, Sire,” the guard repeated his statement, and this time Noctis jumped up from his bench.

“What? Prompto?!” he cried, unable to believe.

The guard nodded hastily.

“He’s in the garden with Sir Leonis, Sire,” the guard told Noctis and barely managed to finish his sentence before Noctis was already dashing down the hallway like his life depended on how fast he could run.

He couldn’t believe this! Had Prompto finally come back? This suddenly, this out of the blue? Maybe the guard had mistaken someone else for Prompto. Noctis didn’t want to get his hopes up just yet; they had gotten reports and news of possible sightings of Prompto before, all them nothing but wrong calls, but to have a palace guard claim that Prompto was actually inside the Lucian palace with Cor… Well, that was definitely new. How would Prompto have even gotten inside without raising any alarms?

Noctis ran and ran toward the garden, arriving to the garden’s door frame and stopping in his tracks as if he had run into a brick wall. There was a wet looking blond man with flat hair standing there with Cor; he was wearing Cor’s jacket and those pants definitely looked like Prompto’s leopard pattern jeans. When the man turned to look at him, their eyes meeting, Noctis’s heart both jumped and sank at the same time.

It was Prompto. He’d recognize that face anywhere.

He couldn’t believe this.

He rushed to Prompto, millions of thoughts running in his head as he jumped on him, wrapping his arms around Prompto’s neck and hugging him, hugging him so, so, so very tightly. Prompto felt real; he was warm and solid, he breathed and yelped out like Prompto did when he got startled.

“Prompto! Oh, my god, Prompto…!” Noctis cried out, his whole body trembling strongly. This was Prompto, his own Prompto. The man he loved the most in Eos had returned, finally, as quietly as he had disappeared. He could tell this was definitely no one else but Prompto!

Noctis could hear Prompto call his name underneath his own bawling, but he didn’t really register it that well. He was so happy.  Relieved and sad and happy and confused and joyous all to way down to his very core.

“I missed you, missed you so much!” Noctis kissed Prompto’s face, hastily. He wanted to kiss every inch of him, shower him with love and affection. Tell him how much he loved him so that Prompto never forgot.

“I love you, I love you so much…!”

His chest ached and the crying just didn’t stop, but rose up from his chest like a storm which had been suffocated down into a too-small space for too long.

His Prompto…!

 

\------------------------

 

Noctis’s bedroom door had a “Do Not Disturb” sign on the outside so that Noctis, Ignis and Gladio would be able to take care of Prompto in peace. He had passed out – nothing fatal, thankfully – and Noctis had called Gladio to help him to carry Prompto into his bed. He hadn’t needed to wait for long, for Ignis and Gladio had already heard the news of Prompto suddenly appearing, all soaked, in the palace garden, and rushed to the bathroom, both seemingly as shocked as Noctis by this sudden event. Message of Prompto’s sudden arrival was also sent to the king, who was out of the palace for a short political trip. Otherwise, news of Prompto’s return had stayed inside the palace’s doors.

Noctis was the most restless of all of them, sitting on the bed next to Prompto and holding his hand tightly. Ignis was attempting to soothe him, as was Gladio,  but nothing made a dent in Noctis’s tense demeanor. Both of them were still trying to accept that it was indeed Prompto who was lying in the bed before them.

Noctis hoped Prompto would wake up soon. He felt guilty for blurting things out like that to him. He had told Ignis and Gladio everything that happened in the restroom, about their conversations and Prompto’s odd behavior – which he couldn’t really blame Prompto for. Ignis had pacified him, saying Prompto only needed to rest.

After ten minutes of rest, Prompto’s eyes stirred open. Everyone in the room perked up at his nonsense mumbling. His hand rose up to his face, rubbing.

“Ugh, what happened?” Prompto croaked, his eyes sleepy and half-open.

Noctis’s head immediately drew in front of Prompto's face, his eyes wide.

“You just took a little nap,” he replied, petting Prompto’s completely flat, still moist hair. “Hi. Did you sleep well?”

“What?” Prompto mumbled back at Noctis. Ignis’s head appeared to the side of Noctis’s face.

“Welcome back, Prompto. Literally and figuratively.” He smiled.

“Oh, Iggy!” Prompto’s eyes opened and hastily he sat up, earning a series of yelps to calm down from everyone in the room. Gladio’s hands pressed tightly on Prompto’s shoulders, seizing him from getting up from the bed.

“Take it easy, champ,” he said, his hair now long and pulled up into a man bun.

“Gladio?” Prompto asked, getting a nod from Gladio back. Then his head turned to Ignis, then back to Gladio, then slowly to Noctis and finally all the way back to Ignis.

“Ignis looks the same as always,” Prompto mumbled out loud, amazed. His comment got an amused snort from Gladio.

“Let’s just say that a good diet keeps one young,” Ignis offered mischievously, and Noctis and Gladio protested his statement with groans.

“Come on, Prompto! I just let my hair grew a bit longer, that’s all,” Gladio whined, “It’s not like I’d aged for a decade.”

“No, I didn’t mean that. There are slight differences in your face, like in Noct’s face, too,” Prompto explained hastily, his eyes drifting to Noctis. Their eyes locked together and Noctis smiled at Prompto, his cheeks faintly tinted with red. “I can tell. I’m a photographer,” he added, underlining that he wasn’t making things up.

“If Prompto sees something in our faces, it has to be there,” Ignis was on Prompto’s side, ignoring Gladio’s wordless complaining.

“Well, let’s see if you can see anything different in this,” Gladio declared loudly, pulling something up from his feet. It was a chocobo plushie.

“Pickle-Tickle!” Prompto cried out, his eyes wide.

“Pickle-Tickle?” Gladio frowned, his eyebrow cocking. He handed the chocobo plushie to Prompto, who hugged it tightly. “We’ve just been calling it Prompto’s Son.”

“Yeah, Pickle-Tickle,” Prompto repeated, putting the plushie under his arm, opposite from Noctis, looking happy and relieved. Noctis assumed silently that seeing the plushie Prompto had won assured him of the fact that he wasn’t hallucinating or dreaming. To be honest, Noctis had been so freaked out when Prompto had started to yell about this not being real or him not being the true Noctis.

Noctis sought Prompto’s palm into his, squeezing his hand tightly, his eyes averted from him.

“I guess what I told you was a bit too much for your body and mind to handle. I’m sorry. I couldn’t keep it inside. I missed you,” he apologized with a barely audible whisper. “I should have been more cautious. I’m sorry you passed out. Are you feeling sick?”

“It’s okay, bro, I’m fine now.” Prompto swallowed, his eyes awkward. “I’m a weakling like that… Sorry I passed out and scared you. It’s just… It’s still kinda hard to comprehend. I believe now, though, after the first shock. Seeing Gladdy and Ignis here helps me, too. I’m sorry I didn’t believe at first.”

Noctis just shook his head at Prompto, declining his apology, but Gladio protested with a deep groan how Prompto was again using the nickname reserved for Iris only.

“Passing out is completely normal in this case. Your body is trying to adjust to the real time, which is around 2,5 years in the future from your body’s perspective,” Ignis explained, cutting in. “Take it easy, Prompto. You need to recover, lest you experience any other… side effects.”

“But that doesn’t make any sense. Coma patients won’t have time related symptoms like these,” Gladio pointed out.

“Well, our Prompto is a bit special then, isn’t he?” Ignis hummed with a smile, “We also have to remember the psychological trauma this kind of an event could cause – but I’m sure our Prompto will get better by it as the time goes by. Just take it easy, alright?”

“I… I will,” Prompto promised.

“We’ll answer any questions you might have,” Noctis vowed to Prompto, his eyes keen.

“Oh yeah, we shouldn’t forget Noctis’s collar’s possible effects on Prompto. Maybe that’s also partly at fault for Prompto passing out?” Gladio suggested. Ignis agreed silently with a short hum.

Noctis’s free hand rose immediately up to his white collar. He fumbled with the tiny amulet on it with his fingers, lips pressed tightly together. He was looking away from Prompto.

“Why are you wearing a collar?” Prompto’s eyebrow cocked high up. Noctis didn’t give any direct reply.

“It’s a Holy magick artifact,” Ignis said for Noctis.

“Holy? But why? Wouldn’t that make Noct sick?” Prompto looked utterly lost, like a small puppy. He squeezed Pickle-Tickle closer to his side.

“Noct here took your loss a bit harder than we anticipated and he started to darken. That trinket on his neck is loaded with Holy magick to keep the darkness at bay,” Gladio pointed Noctis’s collar out with a finger.

Prompto’s expression dropped, a heavy furrow forming between his brows.

“Wait, Noct started to darken? You’re talking too fast and too much,” he whined sadly, a hand coming up to rub at his sore head.

“I think Noctis might be the best one to tell you about that, if you wish to know – he’s the one who promised to answer any questions. Right now, we need to figure out how we can keep you near Noctis without the Holy magick affecting you, Prompto, until it’s safe for Noctis to remove the collar,” Ignis said.

Prompto swallowed visibly, eyes nervous, but he put his calm face on.

“Noct can’t remove the collar?”

“Not yet,” Noctis muttered, his fingers caressing Prompto’s palm he was still holding onto. “So we definitely need to make sure that you can be at ease near me when I have this on.”

“You think I’ll get an overdose like with that Bomb? Is the collar that powerful?” Prompto tried to laugh things off.

Ignis turned to face Prompto slowly.

“Prompto… I’m sorry if this seems rude and sudden, and I apologize if I hurt your feelings with my words, but we know what you are.”

All the blood drained from Prompto’s face immediately. It was clear he understood what Ignis was referring to, but he acted clueless anyway.

“You know that I’m a no-good bestie of the prince?” he offered with a chuckle, but his eyes betrayed him. He was squeezing Pickle-Tickle a tad too tightly to be considered normal.

“That you are from Niflheim, an MT refugee, who traveled to Insomnia to seek asylum when you were still a toddler. We have all the information and details, also obtained from Stella herself, so denying it would be fruitless, Prompto. We know all about your childhood, your adoptive parents, your grandmother, your life alone, the experiments… It broke our hearts when we learnt the truth. I apologize for what you have gone through. Prompto. We all sincerely do.” Ignis’s tone was compassionate, so very loving and understanding.

“Ignis, that’s—“ Prompto barked, but Noctis stopped him right away.

“Why didn’t you tell me, Prompto? I wouldn’t have taken you to Niflheim if I knew. I wouldn’t have talked so badly about daemons – like how every one of them deserves to die – if I knew.” Noctis looked more shaken than stern. His eyes were sorry, shining with held back tears.

Prompto opened his mouth to argue, but this time it was Gladio who cut him off before he even got a chance to say a thing.

“Noct and Iggy are both right. You should have told us,” Gladio said softly.

“If we knew you’d been alone since you were twelve, we’d have done something sooner,” Noctis mumbled. “I wish you’d told me… I would have spent more time with you. Invited you to live with me in my student apartment. Helped you financially and been there for you whenever you needed. I knew you were a loner but to be… to be abandoned by fate… That’s…” Noctis couldn’t finish his sentence. His fingers trembled.

Prompto was quiet. Eerily quiet. His lips quivered as his chin dropped down. He looked like a cornered animal accepting its fate.

“How could I have told you that?” Prompto hissed, pained, understanding that he couldn’t fight against the three of them, couldn’t deny the facts, his past laid bare before him. “How do you tell someone that you’re a monster? That you’re what you guys are fighting against and hating so much? I just… I just wanted to live normally, like any normal human.” His voice trembled. “So, what now, when you know what I am? Are you going to put me in jail? Or hand me over back to Niflheim’s army? Shall I become The Emperor’s lapdog?”

Noctis’s head whipped to Prompto.

“Hand you over back to Niflheim? You think I’d seriously let you go now that you finally came back home?”

“I have no home, I’m a monster Nif,” Prompto wailed loudly. Poor Pickle-Tickle was almost flat against his side.

“You’re not a monster and you’ve got a home: Here,” Noctis assured Prompto with a series of serious nods. “You’re my best friend. The best thing that ever happened to me. I mean it, Prompto. You know I don’t say things like these for nothing. You’re not a monster in my eyes.”

“…Thanks,” he said, “…But I don’t want to talk about this… I didn’t mean to fool you, guys. I really didn’t. I didn’t mean to lie to you – especially not to you, Noct.” His hand squeezed Noctis’s palm timidly.

“It’s fine, don’t fret over it,” Noctis assured Prompto, returning the squeeze.

“You all must be so disappointed with me. I’m nothing but a lousy bastard of an MT, not even meant to be or live like normal humans,” Prompto whispered sadly.

“Not at all. We all love you and we’ve been worried sick about you since we found out,” Noctis shot down Prompto’s self-deprecating statement. Ignis and Gladio were nodding at Prompto to underline Noctis’s statement as the truth; they all held Prompto dear.

“It was a dangerous stunt from you to come with us to Niflheim. There was a big risk that Nifs might have recognized you as one of the refugees back then,” Ignis half-heartedly scolded Prompto, making his face drop more.

“I was so afraid, like, you have no idea, but I had to do it. I promised to Noct,” Prompto whispered. “I promised to stand by Noct and see this mission to its end, no matter how long it would take. I couldn’t let Noct go there alone.”

“You did good, Prompto,” Noctis complimented him.

Prompto was quiet for a moment, sniffling, but then a strange smirk rose up to his lips.

“Guess I don’t have to hide this from you guys anymore,” he mumbled and pulled his wristband away from his hand, revealing a barcode with numbers. Everyone’s heads drew closer to Prompto’s hand. He was too shy to look at any one of them directly.

“I think we can get rid of it with a laser treatment, if you want that,” Gladio muttered, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. If anyone knew something about tattoos, it was Gladio.

“It’s fine,” Prompto whispered, hiding the tattoo quickly underneath his leather band again, his posture awkward. It was clear the barcode was a sore subject to him.

“Well, we might need to get rid of it…” Gladio spoke slowly, taking a knowing look at Ignis next to him. Ignis’s brows furrowed.

“That would be a wise thing to do when thinking about the future, but the decision is Prompto’s. His body has already been violated enough without his consent.”

“What? Remove it so that I’d fit in better? So that you aren’t constantly reminded of what I am?” Prompto hissed, voice cracking slightly.

Everyone in the room looked at each other and then their heads turned to Noctis. Prompto’s eyes followed Ignis’s and Gladio’s to Noctis’s face; his expression was troubled with tightly pressed lips and stern eyes, similar to Prompto’s look.

“What?” Prompto asked, seemingly hurt.

“You didn’t tell him yet? Well, I think you should do that, Noct.” Gladio nodded in Noctis’s direction. He blushed slightly, lips pursing.

“While all of you are here?” he snorted.

Prompto’s head was turning between Gladio and Noctis. He looked genuinely upset.

“Tell me what? What I have done wrong?” he whimpered with angry eyes, getting a furious head shake from Noctis.

“You haven’t done anything wrong. It’s me who has done something wrong,” he corrected Prompto.

“I… I don’t get it…” Prompto whimpered, confused.

“I guess everyone in the palace is already suspecting what’s going on after these years, so we better step up to this and get to the next point. The nation is getting restless,” Gladio muttered to Ignis over Prompto’s whimpering.

Noctis looked like he wanted to say something to Gladio’s point, but he kept his mouth shut.

“Wait, is this about Noct’s mission? I heard it hadn’t ended yet. Is it Stella?” Prompto asked, his prior hurt feelings subdued. His eyes widened suddenly. “Noct, don’t tell me you waited for me to be your best man for this long and put your future kingdom in danger!”

Noctis let out an awkward dry chuckle.

“Well, I uh… I did wait for you because of my mission,” he admitted, not being able to look Prompto in his eyes. “We… We finally solved the riddle. We know who the Divine Partner is.”

“You do?!” Prompto’s head bolted up, surprised.

Noctis’s gaze lifted up from his lap, blue eyes peeking shyly underneath his dark eyelashes.

“...It’s you,” he breathed out after a small pause, despite the fact that he was embarrassed to say that out loud in front of Ignis and Gladio.

Everyone could sense how the time basically stopped in Noctis’s room. Prompto paled. Paled so much Noctis feared he might pass out from the lack of blood circulation in his head. Then his face flushed rapidly all to way up to his hairline. The redness on his freckles was even more prominent with his fallen bangs framing his surprised face.

“ME?” he whined with a high-pitched voice, which broke at the end of the word. “But that’s…! It can’t be!”

“Believe me, I thought the same at first!” Noctis hastily added, worried that Prompto would take the news the wrong way. “But I assure you, it’s you. I wouldn’t joke with this kind of a matter. You know how seriously I have taken this mission.”

“Everyone in this room can assure you that Noctis’s Divine Partner is no one else but you, Prompto,” Ignis said.

Prompto’s mouth opened and closed, but nothing came out from it. He looked completely dazed, gaping like a fish for air.

“Every single detail in you fits the riddle perfectly from you being MT to your sudden disappearance – a lot more than it fits Stella. We’ve been watching Noctis mourning you and suffering because of the distance between you two for these past years. There’s no doubt about this,” Ignis continued. Noctis was allowing Ignis to speak for him, his head turned slightly away from Prompto with a faint blush.

“Plus, like said just earlier, Noct took the thought of your death extremely hard. Turned into this... darkened beast. He was slipping into the darkness so deeply that we had to collar him. I guess he didn’t tell you about that church thing?” Gladio added to Ignis’s statement, crossing his tattooed arms over his chest.

Prompto’s eyes were wide like dinner plates.

“What?” was the only thing he could mewl out, confused by everything he was being told.

“I didn’t tell him,” Noctis replied to Gladio, his face still sideways to Prompto.

“Noct was so utterly devastated that he risked his position as the crown heir in his anger and sadness and committed a sacrilege against Shiva by beheading her statue. Not only that, but Noct entered the church before Divine Mission was over and took a risk that Shiva wouldn’t admit him to the throne, even if he fulfilled the requested Mission perfectly. That all also fits the fact that in the darkness the king will hear the true love’s calling, and the distance will help his heart’s desire. Noctis admitted to me more than once that the longer he waited for you, pondering the answer of you being his partner, the deeper his heart fell for you – if I may say something so bold for you, Noctis,” Ignis told, bowing slightly at Noctis’s side. Noctis nodded softly at him.

“I’m not going to lie, Prompto; I was in bad shape. Everything Ignis told you is true.” Noctis smiled weakly, the corner of his mouth rising up. “I’m still not completely healed yet and the possibility for another darkening lingers inside me since I’ve got so much MP, but I’m a lot better now – and I know I will heal in no time since you are here now, Prompto.”

“I… I can’t be the Divine Partner...! I mean, Noct’s not… not into guys…” Prompto resisted, swallowing.

“I thought I wasn’t and I still am not sure, but… I’m into this one guy only, if it makes sense. I don’t really get it myself either, but I swear I’m not making this up.” Noctis’s head finally turned to Prompto, his eyes sincere and apologetic. “I’m sorry. I should have figured that out earlier. Maybe then Shiva wouldn’t have taken you away and put either one of us through this. I know it must be hard for you to lose two years like that, just to come back into this… royal mess and be bombarded with crazy things.”

“Love is a tricky little bastard and the Astrals’ ways are mysterious. Combine these two and nearly anything is possible,” Ignis noted.

“I’d say that it’s stupid to think that love could be controlled, you know. You can’t control your heart. It either sets on someone or it doesn’t. People call it chemistry and other fancy things but I think it’s just one of those matters we really don’t understand and try to comprehend its existence with silly words and logical reasoning,” Gladio muttered, crossing his arms over his chest.

“I must agree with Gladio. While sexual orientations and preferences are good guidelines, they shouldn’t set anything on stone and rule other things out. Labels are good indicators, but the heart has a mind of its own.” Ignis nodded, agreeing with Gladiolus.

Prompto was quiet. Awfully quiet. He kept staring at some invisible spot behind Gladio with an empty look.

“Based on the riddle, we suspected that you’d be happy to hear this news as the riddle hinted Noctis’s partner would already be in love with him or fall for him easily. We understand that you will need time to digest all this, so don’t worry about time or anything. We’re sorry that this comes out so suddenly, especially after you have just heard about you being lost from us for years. However, that said, we must still indeed act upon this revelation as soon as possible. We have done our best to keep the nation’s and journalists’ noses away from Noctis’s business and it’s getting hard not to make the nation worry for everything, as this matter affects all who reside in Lucis.” Ignis looked Prompto patiently.

Prompto just kept staring blankly in front of him. Ignis paused for a moment. “We also need to plan the engagement ceremony and then the wedding – after the Divine Mission’s Completion Ceremony has been held and you two have gotten Shiva’s blessings.”

Noctis was holding Prompto’s hand tightly, looking concerned for Prompto. He gave a squeeze at Prompto’s palm and got his attention. Prompto was crying, tears running down his cheeks. Noctis panicked.

“Are you okay?! I know this is a lot to take in so quickly. We don’t have to hurry with the ceremonies even if Ignis says so. Your well-being matters the most here!” Noctis assured Prompto, who kept crying without any sound.

“I… I’m sorry. This is just… this is one heck of a shock,” Prompto admitted, his face still blank despite his tears.

“Take your time.” Noctis squeezed his hand once more. He wanted to peck Prompto’s cheek but Gladio’s and Ignis’s presence made him too shy to do that.

“We haven’t told the king yet, but I have a feeling he has some idea of what’s going on – Cor, at least, is sly enough that he probably figured things out a long time ago, but we don’t know if he has spoken with the king about the matter,” Gladio said.

“He hasn’t.” Noctis turned his attention to Gladio. “I spoke with Cor. I knew he would find it out sooner or later – perhaps by himself or perhaps Iris would accidentally slip something which would lead him to ask me. I asked him not to tell father anything. I know he has kept his word.”

Prompto finally broke his silence with loud sobs, holding Noctis’s hand back tightly. He rubbed his eyes with his fingers.

“It’s okay, don’t cry.” Noctis tried to soothe Prompto down, but Prompto shook his head.

“No, it’s not that. I’m… I’m so happy,” Prompto managed to say between his hiccups. “I’m sorry, Noct. This is also my fault. I should have told you about my feelings. The riddle is right, like Ignis assumed; this trip has been easier for the partner than for the king. I… I just couldn’t. I knew you weren’t into guys and I didn’t want to sabotage your important mission with my meaningless crush. I… I was embarrassed and afraid.”

“We understand. We all were expecting a woman. If anything, this is also my fault; I should have figured the riddle out sooner and seen the hints between you two – even when Noctis himself was blind to them,” Ignis apologized.

Gladio’s nose wrinkled.

“Apologizing back and forth won’t change how things went. Hindsight is always 20/20. No use dwelling on the past. It’s time to look ahead.”

“We should give Noctis and Prompto some time to get used to this and especially for Prompto to digest everything before we start to plan the Completion Ceremony,” Ignis said, looking at Noctis, who had pulled the weeping Prompto underneath his arm.

“I suspect Prompto will need some royal training from Ignis before the engagement.” Gladio looked at Prompto thoughtfully.

“That will be tabled until later. We’ve already talked with Noctis about future events but I can tell you, Prompto, that the fact that the Lucian heir’s partner is a man will cause commotion in one way or another. We need to get everything ready for this. I assume that as time goes by everyone will get used to this new era, but until then it is good idea to expect some nagging from the nation,” Ignis accompanied Gladio.

Prompto wiped the last tears from his eyes and looked determined, cheeks buffing.

“I’ll do it. If this is what Shiva wants from me, I’ll do it. I’ll do anything for Noct,” he said, his head snug against Noctis’s chest.

“Ah, the princess doesn’t resist the royal education as much as the prince did,” Gladio smirked mischievously.

“This will affect the nation’s politics on some level, so we better let His Majesty know as soon as possible and then plan together with him how we deal with the inevitable discord,” Ignis suggested. Everyone agreed – even Prompto.

“I know I’m not a good choice for Noctis’s partner. I don’t know much about politics or royal stuff, but even I can tell I’m not a good thing as the second ruler next to Noctis,” Prompto mumbled sadly. “Besides, the people are expecting the birth of a new heir and… Well… You know…”

“Maybe we can officially adopt Pickle-Tickle and put him in charge when we’re gone,” Noctis lightened up the mood in the room. Prompto sniggered slightly underneath his arm but said nothing more.

“We need to inform Lunafreya, too, and plan a date for the Compilation Ceremony – whenever you are ready for it, Prompto, don’t worry if you need some time. I know I said we’re in a hurry, but your health comes above all other matters. Besides, any stress on you is stress on Noct and we want to avoid any steps back in the purifying process – and don’t take that as something you need to apologize for, Prompto. Just close those lips; I saw them opening for an apology and no one here will accept such a needless thing,” Ignis noted, eyes sharply on Prompto, who did close his parted lips silently without further arguing.

“It’s quite a long trip from Tenebrae, so we should give Luna enough time for preparations. PR also needs time and such for the official announcement, since the Completion Ceremony is a national thing and will be celebrated throughout Lucis. Lastly, even if we told the king and Luna and PR staff about everything today, it’d still take time to organize everything necessary.” Gladio nodded, his arms crossed.

“Is Luna busy?” Prompto asked, his cheeks rosy from admitting indirectly to his feelings for Noctis out loud. Noctis’s hand was drawing soft, tiny circles on Prompto’s back in secrecy. They were both enjoying being this close to one another.

“Sorta. She’s got her hands busy there now because Ravus got married and decided to settle there instead of accepting the career promotion from Nilfheim’s capitol army,” Gladio replied.

“What? He’s married?” Prompto’s curiosity seemed to spark a bit.

“Well, a lot of things have happened within the last two years or so,” Gladio simply stated, looking troubled. “Luna’s been staying in Tenebrae for some time now due to this family stuff.”

“She said she was aiding Ravus with his career in Tenebrae – whatever that means, Luna couldn’t tell for confidential reasons - and she’s also helping her sister-in-law to get homey in Tenebrae. Luna said she had lived her whole life in the busy Niflheim, so it might be quite a shock to move into a completely different environment,” Noctis filled Gladio in.

“So… So we shouldn’t bother Luna now?” Prompto bit his lower lip.

Ignis cast an understanding look on Prompto.

“Let’s let Lunafreya come here on her own, when she’s done with her brother and sister-in-law. I doubt it’s going to take that long. I think Noctis wants to spend some quality time with you before everyone’s eyes turn on both of you – both the good and bad,” Ignis stated, but there was a glimmering smile in his eyes.

Noctis blushed and huffed slightly through his nostrils, embarrassed that his love life was being discussed so openly and everyone was staring at his red face now.

“First King Regis, then Luna. That’s my proposal,” Ignis said after a moment of quiet had passed in the room.

“Yeah, Dad needs to know. I’ve kept this secret for too long…” Noctis agreed.

Prompto was biting his lower lip so hard it looked like he would bite through it any second.

“How will the king take the news of me?” he asked. He couldn’t look anyone directly in the eyes.

Ignis shrugged rather nonchalantly.

“We’ve had countless conversations with Noctis about this matter and I swear by the Astrals I have tried everything to get Noctis to tell his father about you, but Noctis insisted he wants to do that when you are back, that you could deliver the news to the king as a couple.”

“And?” Prompto dared to peek at Ignis.

“King Regis is a good man. A wise man. Any good and a wise man would want nothing but the best for his son. I’m sure you’ll get his blessing.”

“Dad’s really old fashioned, so he respects Astrals’ wishes and these Divine Missions tremendously. Still, I do fear that he will be disappointed that Lucis Caelum’s bloodline dies and that he won’t get to play with grandchildren. I know Dad loves kids,” Noctis mumbled.

“The Astrals have their reasons for this,” Ignis reminded Noctis, and Prompto agreed with him, humming while biting his lip and nodding.

“…Yeah… There has to be a meaning here. I gotta see it through. I’m… You can count on me, Noct,” Prompto turned his head to Noctis, his eyes determined. “I promised I’d help you out if you needed anything.”

“Prompto, this isn’t exactly the same thing as helping out with something mundane,” Noctis laughed softly, and ruffled Prompto’s hair. “Thanks. You weren’t so useless after all,” he joked with a wink of his eye, finally earning a warm, short chuckle from a blushing Prompto.

“AH! I just remembered! Your mother said there was this one thing I could help you with! She must have meant your mission!” Prompto’s head disconnected from Noctis’s chest suddenly as he yelped his realization out loud with a high-pitched tone.

Ignis’s and Gladio’s eyebrows rose in a unison.

“Wait, The Queen?” Gladio asked, boggled. Noctis’s head turned quickly to him.

“Prompto met my mom. Long story,” he simply stated.

“Must be doings of Shiva herself,” Ignis muttered thoughtfully, his hand on his chin.

“So Noct’s mom is aware of this whole Mission business?” Gladio’s face was still boggled. He looked like he really didn’t believe what Prompto had said about The Queen.

“She said she’s been watching over Noct,” Prompto explained with a small stutter. “Though I didn’t know it was Noct’s mother. I mean, I’ve never seen a photo of her.”

“It makes sense. After all our loved ones will look after us from The Afterlife.” Ignis was on Prompto’s side and Gladio only frowned with a short, beaten groan.

“I’m not sure do I believe that much in that Afterlife mumbo-jumbo, but if it’s Prompto who says it, I have to rethink about it seriously,” he admitted, looking bothered.

Prompto was also looking bothered and ashamed.

“I feel so stupid now. I’m sorry guys. Sorry for everything. I kinda feel this is all my fault that things went this horribly wrong so to say. I should have realized the riddle’s meaning sooner,” he whispered, fumbling nervously with his fingers.

“Like Gladio said, apologizing back and forth won’t do anything. It’s fine, Prompto,” Noctis replied. Prompto nodded with a hum, biting his lower lip.

“I’d say that Prompto should rest some more and then we can eat all together. We will tell the king when he returns to the palace – which is around tomorrow evening. I know this comes suddenly, Noctis, but I really suggest that you deal with this matter as soon as possible,” Ignis said.

“I’ll tell him tomorrow evening,” Noctis promised, looking at Prompto. He nodded at him, agreeing with Noctis’s plan.

Noctis wasn’t sure Prompto really understood what Shiva had assigned for him and how it would affect his life – Everything had, in the end, went a bit too smoothly for Noctis to truly believe that Prompto understood his position. He let that slide for now, knowing that they definitely needed to talk with Prompto in peace, without any extra pairs of ears or eyes. Perhaps Ignis and Gladio were smart enough to leave them alone later this evening. If anything, Noctis wanted to sleep this night in his own bed, holding Prompto against his chest till the next morning.

Besides that, he would definitely kiss Prompto so good he’d pass out again. Just like he had promised to Iris.

It amused Noctis; he had promised Prompto at Cape Caem to kiss Iris good and now the roles had changed and he had promised Iris to kiss Prompto good.

Life was, indeed, a very strange script.

 

\------------------------------------

 

Like Noctis had anticipated, in the evening, when the palace had greeted Prompto properly and he was left alone with Noctis in his bedroom to get ready for bed, Prompto’s eyes had a glassed look in them. He sat on the rather narrow windowsill and emptily watched the dark city below, blurred behind the heavy rain which had started an hour earlier. His hair was flat and messy, and he looked very casual in the clothes he borrowed from Noctis.

Noctis walked to Prompto, his fingertips touching his shoulder gently. Prompto turned his head to look up at Noctis but he didn’t say anything.

“Everything good?” Noctis asked, sitting down in the windowsill, facing Prompto.

Prompto shrugged and turned his head back at the window.

“I… I guess?” he said quietly.

“You guess?” Noctis’s eyebrow rose up. Prompto took a look at Noctis and chuckled, his face apologetic.

“Sorry. I’m still a bit dazed,” he admitted, absently drawing something on the windowsill’s surface with his finger. His face had dropped down and Noctis inspected his worried look keenly.

“Like Iggy said, take your time. We’re not in a hurry.”

“…Are you happy with this? This all, I mean?” Prompto asked with a very quiet tone, his voice barely audible.

Noctis shifted closer to Prompto.

“Why wouldn’t I be? You came back. Life is finally good again, like it should be. I can finish the mission, get ready for becoming a king, and I can do it with no one but you at my side,” Noctis smiled sincerely, his eyes bright.

“…I kinda worry that... I’m afraid you’re just doing this because of Shiva. That you wouldn’t have chosen me if it wasn’t something decided by the Astrals – I mean, in a case where your Divine Mission wasn’t about looking for love but something else and you could decide your partner yourself,” Prompto murmured. “I’ve been asking myself for the past few hours, would The Prince really love me if it was just plain ol’ me…?”

Noctis snorted, and it came out as a hurt sound. Yet he placed his hand on Prompto’s knee, seeking his eyes and capturing them with his. Noctis’s face was serious.

“Of course I would have done that,” Noctis hissed. “It might have taken a little longer from me to realize, because like I said to you at Cape Caem, when you asked me to follow the flow, I’m really not that good at following the flow.”

Prompto laughed shortly at Noctis’s comment, his lips curving slightly upwards.

“Yeah. You said that.” Then his voice got serious. “You think that’s why Shiva separated us? So that you’d realize it?”

“To be honest, I don’t know. I guess, but I mean… I mean we would have figured the riddle out eventually. I would have fallen for you more and more eventually, all the way to the point where I couldn’t have denied my feelings anymore. So, in a sense... I don’t know why it had to go this way, you disappearing and all that,” Noctis admitted, his hand petting Prompto’s knee.

“I don’t get it either.” Prompto’s lips pressed together and his gaze lifted up to the wet window screen. “Maybe some things aren’t meant to be understood or explained?”

“Yeah, it could be that,” Noctis nodded. His hand withdrew from Prompto’s knee up to his white holy collar. “Are you certain you want to sleep next to me this night? The Holy might give you side effects.”

“It’s fine,” Prompto quickly said, but his eyes stayed at the window. “One night is fine. At least we get to see how it affects me.”

“The Holy load in this is heavy…” Noctis mumbled, worried.

“I’m more worried about you, Noct. I can tell that life has been rough to you and the darkening… I have never heard it happening to anyone before. Only daemons or people with daemon genes darken. People like me…” Prompto breathed out in a scared tone.

“Gladio said there’s both light and dark in all of us and my high MP level caused it all, when I...” he wanted to say when he had been devastated because of Prompto’s death, but Noctis didn’t want to burden Prompto with that thought. Instead he said, “when I missed you a lot.”

“But still…!” Prompto argued back with a pained hiss. “I’m sorry, Noct. Sorry for everything. There are so many things running in my head that I—“

“It’s fine!” Noctis barked back hastily, his hands jumping on Prompto’s shoulder, earning his sad attention. “It’s all fine, Prompto. Luna won’t be here for a while and even after that we need time to plan the Compilation Ceremony. After that comes the engagement, which I think needs to be handled pretty soon after the Compilation Ceremony.”

“Life’s going to get rather hasty, eh?” Prompto tried to laugh his worries off, failing miserably. “Are we going to let your father know tomorrow?”

“…Yes. I know this is… Well, the fight with Behemoths and arriving back to Insomnia have both happened to you in a matter of one day, but for my father and me it’s been over two years. I need to tell him. I wish you could be there with me, standing by my side, but if that’s too much to ask for, I understand completely. You don’t have to come with me. I was selfish to think that you could just waltz with me in front of my father with this news,” Noctis said.

“I’ll go with you. It’s the least I can do. I promised to be at your side,” Prompto swore, his eyes determined.

“I can handle the talking,” Noctis offered, earning a nod from Prompto.

“Thanks. That helps me. I’m still sorta afraid of your father. You know, me versus the king.” Prompto gestured with his hand in the air.

“After that, you can rest and take your time with all this. We’ll make sure the news won’t spread outside the palace until the official announcement at the Ending Ceremony. Ignis will definitely take that opportunity and start to train you formally as soon as we’ve told my father and gotten his blessing.”

“What if we don’t get that?” Prompto squeaked.

Noctis’s lips pressed tightly together. He hummed deep from his throat.

“I have feared the same – god I was so scared when I realized it was you about how father is going to take the news – but we have to tell him. With or without his blessings, this is the way for me to become the king. I’ve mentally prepared myself to disappoint him but this is my life. My destiny, my mission, and most importantly my partner. I can’t allow my father’s opinions to matter.”

Prompto listened to him quietly, smirking then.

“You sound different, Noct. You’ve grown up.”

Noctis was boggled first, but then burst into hearty laughter.

“Oh, you noticed? Iris said something about it, too, and said you’d most likely pick that up.”

“It’s a good thing – for a future king I mean. I can’t speak nothing but nonsense. Heh, Ignis will surely have his hands full with me.” Prompto smirked once more, his eyes casting down to his lap, long eyelashes beautiful. He fumbled his fingers, nervous. “Noct I… Uh, is it alright to kiss you?”

“What about the Holy?” Noctis joked, his eyes clearly telling that it was more than alright for Prompto to request the kiss.

Prompto inspected Noctis’s face and neck for a moment, shrugging.

“Just quickly, if you’re worried.”

“Alright, quickly then. The less we’re with each other while I need to wear the collar, the longer we can kiss and touch whenever we meet. I guess this trinket has its good qualities, too, eh, Prompto?” Noctis asked, his expression mischievous and impish.

Prompto blushed all to way up to his ears, laughing shyly.

“I’d like that – not to be separated from you but to kiss and touch you for a long time when we meet,” he admitted with reddened cheeks. “If I had to choose, I think I’d rather see you intensively for a short time and get exposed to the Holy then rather than get Holy poisoning slowly by constantly being next to you. But… tonight, I definitely want to sleep next to you. I want to hold you, Noct. I still feel like I’m dreaming and I’m sorta afraid that I’ll wake up somewhere else tomorrow.”

“You can hold me as long as you want,” Noctis breathed out, his face just in front of Prompto’s face; his breath ghosted over Prompto’s lips. “But first, the kiss…”

Prompto leaned toward Noctis with lips slightly parted, and Noctis’s heart jumped all the way up to his throat when their lips touched. It had been so long. Prompto’s kiss was as cute and alluring as he remembered it to be but also a lot sweeter and hotter than he remembered it to be. Noctis tilted his head to kiss Prompto deeper, humming at him when Prompto’s hand rose softly to touch his neck with those slender fingers. Prompto replied to his hum with a soft sigh, his mouth opening for Noctis to kiss him more tenderly.

Noctis wanted to devour Prompto. In all honestly, just to press his body against that windowsill and ravish his mouth; he had missed Prompto so very much. But he couldn’t do that. It would have been too much for Prompto right now. Instead, Noctis concentrated to feel the warmth of Prompto’s mouth, the beautiful arch of his thin lips and how right and absolutely perfect his mouth felt against his.

Breaking the short, tender kiss with Prompto, Noctis pressed his forehead against Prompto’s shoulder, tearing up.

“I’m so happy,” he said, his voice having a tiny shiver in it, his eyes closed. “I missed you so much.”

Prompto’s arms came around Noctis’s neck, one of the palms landing on the back of his head, softly caressing Noctis’s black hair.

“I’m glad to be here,” Prompto muttered quietly into Noctis’s hair, his nose pressing against his scalp, eyes closing.

“Let me stay here like this. Just a little while,” Noctis whispered, tears glimmering on his cheeks.

“Uh-huh,” Prompto only sighed, allowing Noctis to wrap his arms around his waist.

They stayed together in that shared warm embrace, in complete silence, only the rain’s sharp drumming on the window screen audible in the room.

No words were needed to say how much they loved each other.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promised the Promptis doujinshi I was making, yes? I had completely forgot to link it here! But here you go; Smooch is available online for free downloading. 
> 
> Twitter: https://twitter.com/niuniente/status/862818952082337793  
> Tumblr: http://niuniente.tumblr.com/post/160566686663/here-it-finally-is-my-very-first-dojin-smooch


	21. Talk with Dad

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Noctis and Prompto talk with The King

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's new art of this fic! Thank you so much! I apologize if I have forgotten someone - please let me know so I can feature you in the next chapter.
> 
> Dark Noctis by Argentum-lyn  
> argentum-lyn.tumblr.com/post/163195190750/a-lil-illustration-for-chapter-17-of
> 
> Noctis with sword by princeofnewrecepeh  
> princeofnewrecepeh.tumblr.com/post/162098592486/time-for-bed-i-know-i-need-to-learn-to-draw-with

King Regis arrived at the palace the next evening after Prompto’s sudden return. When Noctis noticed his father’s car pulling in the front yard, he took a hold of Prompto’s hand; both boys looked through the window with necks stretched long to get a better view of the car, which looked so puny from so up high.

“We better tell father as soon as possible,” Noctis said with tight lips, earning a nod from Prompto.

“Yeah, let’s do it.”

“I will ask him to wait on the public announcement. I want everyone else to hear the news at the ceremony,” Noctis said, his head turning to Prompto. Prompto was looking back at Noctis with a faint blush on his cheeks.

“Will it be difficult to hide, you know, the fact that I’m meant to be yours?” Prompto asked, unsure.

Noctis frowned, looking back down to the front yard, his neck still long as his eyes followed how his father stepped out of the car and headed to the front door.

“Maybe, but as long we don’t give them any official information, their thoughts will be only rumors.”

Prompto bit his lip, a thoughtful frown appearing on his face.

“So… we really shouldn’t postpone the ceremony… The longer we wait, the more the rumors will come up,” he mumbled, getting Noctis to withdraw from the window and turn to Prompto.

“Don’t worry about that. We’ll manage somehow. We’ll talk more when Luna comes back, and about this collar thing, too, okay?” Noctis said to Prompto, whose lips tightened into a pursing small pout, all thoughtful.

“…Okay. I just don’t want to cause any more trouble for you guys,” he said, his thumb idly caressing the side of Noctis’s palm.

Noctis pushed his chin forward and placed a hasty, secret kiss on Prompto’s pursing lips, making Prompto blush slightly; his lips parted in surprise of this small peck.

“You’re no trouble.” Noctis chuckled softly, letting go of Prompto’s hand. “Come on. We should go meet Dad. I’m sure he wants to see you, too.”

Noctis could tell from the look in Prompto’s blue eyes that he wasn’t that convinced that the king would be interested in meeting him, and Noctis could understand why.

“You go,” Prompto said, not moving from his spot, just like Noctis had anticipated. “I mean… There are lots of people there; your father and palace staff and his guardians. I’d be more comfortable if I met the king somewhere in private. I’m already shaking because I know we have to tell him about Shiva’s decision. I might have a meltdown in front of everyone and boy, wouldn’t that be embarrassing,” Prompto joked, but his eyes were apologetic in such a way Noctis couldn’t disagree with his wish.

“Alright. I’ll go tell Dad that I want to talk with him. Don’t worry, Prompto.”

“I’ll wait here,” Prompto said.

Noctis followed Prompto’s wish and left him in the hallway, asking once more before going if Prompto would be alright alone. He shooed Noctis with a wave of his hand to go to his father, giving him a bright smile as a sign that he wouldn’t croak.

When Noctis got to meet his father at the first level of the palace, Cor was already at his side, like always. King Regis’s face lightened up when he saw Noctis.

“Well, you certainly look happy,” he stated with a bright, small smile, his gentle gaze on Noctis’s face. “I heard the good news about Prompto. I wish to see him.”

“Prompto wants to meet you, too,” Noctis said, stopping in front of his father and Cor. “But he doesn’t want to be alone, so I’ll be escorting him.”

“Of course,” Regis nodded immediately. “Please tell him he’s no stranger here. This is your home and knowing how important Prompto is to you, this is also Prompto’s home.”

Noctis was a bit surprised by his father’s words, but he accepted them nevertheless.

“If you haven’t anything better to do, I’d like you to escort me, Cor.” Regis laughed over his shoulder at Cor, who closed his eyes with a faint smirk and huffed softly through his nostrils.

“I will be there.”

“So, how’s Prompto?” Regis asked, starting to walk further in the palace through the corridor they had stepped into. Noctis walked next to his father.

“A bit dazed and somewhat weak, but otherwise fine,” he replied.

“Cor here managed to tell me that he found Prompto in the palace’s garden, soaked from head to toe. How on Eos did he end up there?” Regis asked, concerned.

Noctis knew how Prompto had ended up there, but he didn’t want to say it here; the palace’s staff and guards were following behind Regis and this was a private matter. Noctis straightened his back.

“I think that’s something you need to ask Prompto personally,” he simply replied.

King Regis laughed warmly, his shoulders jumping up and down slightly. He seemed to be in good health despite the draining effects of the ring.

“I definitely will do that. I can’t wait to hear the answer. It must be very interesting and tickle one’s curiosity, if you’re being so quiet about it.”

“So… do you want to meet Prompto now?” Noctis asked from his father, turning his body to him and walking backwards. He was hoping to get a positive answer.

“If Mr. Argentum is in a good enough condition to meet me, then yes,” Regis admitted. “I don’t mean to take too much of his time, though, so he can retreat and rest again quickly.”

“He’s fine. A bit dazed, but fine otherwise,” Noctis said, thinking that the sooner they could tell his father what was going on, the quicker both he and Prompto would be able to let go of the stress regarding the truth of Shiva’s plans. “Should I go get him?”

King Regis looked at Noctis very paternally.

“Yes. Let’s meet in my office. Cor, bring us some coffee, will you?”

Noctis left his father and his royal gang behind and went a few floors upstairs to get Prompto. He was still standing at the same spot where Noctis had left him, furiously rubbing his palms together, face twisted with nervousness.

“What did he say?” Prompto squeaked when he saw Noctis, his voice coming out a lot higher than he had anticipated.

“Dad would like to see you now,” Noctis said, and Prompto jumped.

“No-now?” he stuttered.

“Yes, if you’re feeling up to it. He said he wouldn’t take much of your time.”

“He can say that, but you know, he really doesn’t know what we’re about to tell him… It might take long, especially if he’s against all this…” Prompto looked worried and pale, his lips pressed tightly together.

Noctis scratched the back of his head, his mouth also curving into a small pout.

“…It’s possible,” he said, letting his hand relax down to his side, “But dad will let you rest even if he doesn’t like it. He’s not like that, Prompto. Disappointed he might be, but he takes his duty as the king very seriously. He wouldn’t harm any Insomnian citizens.”

Prompto’s eyes shifted downwards, his chin dropping.

“…I’m not really an Insomnian citizen though…” he whispered with a broken tone.

Noctis went straight to Prompto, knowing no one would be in the same corridor with them, and gave him a hug, pressing him tightly against his body.

“Of course you are,” Noctis hissed, determined. “Your origin doesn’t matter to me and… Well, I don’t know if father will understand but you’ve already spent so much time with me without incidents that father is a blind idiot if he thinks you’re a harm to me.”

Prompto nodded against Noctis’s shoulder, his hands still tightly in front of his chest, fingers fumbling and tangling around each other.

“Let’s go. Cor will bring us some coffee.” Noctis broke the hug, his hands staying on Prompto’s shoulders. He looked Prompto directly in his eyes, his gaze tender.

“A—Alright. Let’s do this, Noct.” Prompto snorted through his nostrils strongly, ready to go.

Noctis would have lied if he said he didn’t have butterflies in his stomach - or that he wasn’t afraid - when they started to head into the king’s office, where Regis liked to sit for a while every time he arrived back home from political trips taking him outside Insomnia borders. Noctis pondered often how dangerous that was for him and how dangerous it would end up being to him – to the king married to a man, if Shiva’s riddle was indeed solved and Prompto was the one. There was always a possibility things wouldn’t go as planned, but in the past two years, Noctis had made up his mind. He knew what he wanted and what felt right to him. It had to be this.

The King’s office door looked bigger this time, and felt much heavier, too, when Noctis stopped in front of it with Prompto. Prompto whined weakly, unconsciously, and Noctis patted his shoulder.

“I’ll handle the talking. Don’t worry.”

“My knees are trembling,” Prompto sobbed quietly as Noctis pushed the door open and stepped inside.

King Regis’s and Cor’s heads turned to the arriving guys and a wide smile took over the King’s face.

“Oh, Prompto!” he called to him, delighted, spreading his arms open. “Finally back. We all have missed you,” he said and walked to give Prompto a hug. Prompto’s eyes were wide like a deer’s in the headlights and he returned the hug with an awkward pat.

“I---It’s good to be back, Your Highness,” he managed to reply back to Regis, who withdrew himself from the hug and looked at Prompto paternally.

“You look a bit pale. Are you alright?”

“Y—Yes, Your Highness.” Prompto swallowed.

Noctis cut in between them to help Prompto out.

“Prompto’s just nervous and still tired,” he said.

King Regis gave them both a boggled look and burst then into warm, loud laughter.

“Oh, there’s no need to be nervous. We’re all men and human beings here,” he said gently to Prompto, who accepted the soothing with a nervous chuckle.

“Y—Yes, Your Highness,” he said.

“You must be nothing but dazed from all this. Please, come sit here.” King Regis’s hand landed on Prompto’s upper back, guiding him to the chair in front of the king’s antique wooden desk. Noctis took a seat next to him, while Cor offered Prompto a cup of coffee.

“Nothing a warm cup of coffee can’t soothe,” he said to Prompto calmly. Prompto took the mug, looking awkward.

“Right, Sir.” He nodded, biting his lips. Noctis hoped Prompto’s hands wouldn’t be shaking so much that he’d spill the coffee on his lap.

“So, Prompto, how are you?” Regis asked, sitting down and leaning back in his seat.

Prompto looked up at him hastily.

“I’m good, Your Highness. Still trying to understand what really happened,” he said.

“Apparently, you just popped into our garden, soaked from head to toe. Cor told me about it briefly,” the king said, his eyes on Prompto.

Prompto nodded with the mug clutched between his hands.

“Yeah, I did. It was… very strange. I’m still trying to figure it all out,” he repeated himself, clearly ashamed that he couldn’t speak properly in front of the king. He had gotten paler due to the rapidly building anxiety.

“I’m very curious to hear….how did you end up here?” Regis smiled, stretching his words.

Prompto couldn’t look Regis in his eyes. He hummed and blabbered unconsciously, trying to form his thoughts into words.  
  
“Well… Your Highness… It’s kind of a long story…” he began with a shaky voice, but Noctis’s body shot straight in his chair, eyes keenly on Regis.

“Father, I need to speak with you!” Noctis said quickly, thinking that it was perhaps the best to let Prompto out of his misery and cut to the chase with the Divine Mission.

“Now?” Regis’s attention turned to Noctis, his eyebrow arching upwards.

“It’s urgent,” Noctis stated hastily.

King Regis only smiled, shifting in his chair slightly.

“Very well, if Prompto doesn’t mind?”

Prompto shook his head silently.

“I noticed you had a bit odd look in your eyes earlier, Noctis,” King Regis stated to Noctis, still smiling curiously. Cor stood beside the table, sipping his coffee casually and looking keenly at Noctis. Noctis could sense his stare easily.

“I… I actually have a few things to tell…” Noctis started, his chest feeling suddenly so very heavy with everything. He wanted to reach out to Prompto’s hand for support, but kept his hands in his lap. “I… I kinda don’t know where to start…”

“Start anywhere you like,” Regis replied casually, his tone understanding.

“When being unsure what to say, say the truth bluntly without circling it,” Cor advised Noctis – he already knew what Noctis was about to tell the King. Noctis blushed at the way Cor’s eyes were on him.

“Hmm, I have to agree with Cor. Honesty is a good virtue, especially for the future king.” Regis was nodding softly, looking at Cor.

Noctis took a deep breath, the want of reaching for Prompto’s hand even stronger inside him.

“On my search for the bride, we came into a conclusion that the bride could be Stella Nox Fleuret,” Noctis started, his neck sweating. “We actually sent her a request for audience and she accepted our request.”

“You went to Niflheim?” Cor’s eyes widened in a surprise. The king next to him looked serious, too, but said nothing, waiting for Noctis to continue.

“Yeah, we did. The battle with Behemoths didn’t happen on Lucian ground but near the border between us and Nif territory. We were there waiting for Stella’s answer,” Noctis explained, swallowing, as he continued telling about things he hadn’t been honest with.

“That was a very reckless move, young man,” Regis stated with a completely unreadable tone. “As we haven’t heard anything from Niflheim, I assume everything went smoothly?” He asked before Cor or Noctis could react to his earlier comment.

“It did. Stella hosted us and said she was interested in the marriage – and we kinda expected that, knowing where we all stand in this – but then Prompto disappeared and we came back home. I’ve already sent Stella an official letter in response to her positive reply,” Noctis explained, the heaviness in his chest growing stronger by the way his father and Cor were both staring at him, like they were measuring him from head to toe.

Noctis suddenly felt so very small and tiny. He could only imagine what Prompto was feeling now; his head bowed down to avoid Regis and Cor’s gazes.

The king’s eyes widened and he leaned closer to Noctis over the table.

“So, Stella has accepted the proposal?” he asked, voice surprised.

Noctis bit his lip.

“…Well… Yes and no…” he mumbled, chewing his cheek, “We haven’t met since she replied and Ignis has been dealing with this matter a lot, as he can handle these things better than I do… So, eh… We should talk with Ignis?” Noctis offered while gesturing the air in front of him, trying to catch his thoughts without stammering too much.

Cor wasn’t saying anything, but his eyes told that he knew what Noctis was getting at. Yet, he kept his mouth shut and concentrated on his coffee.

“So, the official proposal meeting wasn’t held yet?” Regis was clearly confused. “And yet, we haven’t heard anything from the Emperor himself about this matter.”

“Stella has been handling this alone, in private. The Emperor doesn’t know anything,” Noctis hastily replied, his neck even sweatier. He pushed his hands down and shifted his foot closer to Prompto, to touch his feet in secrecy.

“That means meetings must be held and everything explained. There are strict protocols surrounding these things, you know this.” Regis was stern with Noctis, who felt himself ashamed.

“You boys were playing with fire, you know that, yes?” Cor murmured and Noctis blushed, embarrassed.

“We were getting desperate. Everything in the Shiva’s answer fit Stella and we got along pretty well. It was worth a try,” he said, his coffee mug still untouched in front of him. “Then Prompto’s disappearance happened and… well… That plan got ditched…” Noctis’s words drifted into silence, his eyes averting to Prompto, who was still avoiding everyone’s gazes.

“Go on,” Regis urged Noctis, seemingly curious.

Noctis didn’t know where he should look at while delivering the news, so he decided to look directly at his father, eyes sharp. He squeezed his hands into fists in his lap.

“Father I… I mean…Ignis found something,” Noctis began, voice wobbly, “We mulled over his findings. It all came to what Shiva had said to us. You know the riddle’s content, so…” His words died down, hands shaking in nervousness. “I… I’ve known this for a long time, Dad. I have tried to tell you, but I couldn’t…”

“What is it?” Regis’s gray brows furrowed in concern for his son, head tilting slightly.

“I… I have found the Divine Partner, Dad,” Noctis hissed, almost a bit too quietly. “I’m certain of it.”

King Regis’s face lit up with a surprise, his lips parting. He leaned against his elbows on the desk.

“Really?” he breathed out, eyes wide. “Is it indeed Stella, as I fear?”

Noctis was squeezing his hands into tighter fists, so tightly it hurt. Away from Regis’s and Cor’s eyes, at the floor level, Noctis’s and Prompto’s feet were touching each other for support.

“It’s Prompto,” Noctis blurted out bluntly after a too-long wait.

King Regis fell into a silence, his eyes going back and forth between Noctis and Prompto, and then sat back in his chair, humming.

“I see,” he simply stated with a calm tone, his earlier surprised expression gone. Noctis’s back was sweating now, too, and from the corner of his eye he could see how Prompto had somehow paled even more.

“I swear we looked at this from high and low with Ignis and Gladio, turned every stone and paid attention to every detail and the answer has to be Prompto!” Noctis said hastily, failing to keep his calm. He was starting to panic a little. All his fears tried to get the better of him. He noticed how hard his legs were trembling.

“Your Young Highness must be aware how such a possibility will affect the nation’s politics and our old traditions,” Cor spoke, face completely unreadable.

Noctis’s head whipped to face him.

“Trust me; that’s what I’ve been mulling over for years…! This is nothing but a bad decision for the kingdom!” he cried, desperate.

“You’ve known for that long, Noctis?” Regis put in with a short gasp.

Noctis couldn’t look his father in the eyes anymore. Instead his chin dropped down to his chest, eyes cast down to his curled palms.

“…Yeah…” he whimpered.

“You should have said that earlier,” Regis simply stated, and Noctis wasn’t sure if the frustration in his voice there because of Prompto or because of Noctis’s hesitation in opening his mouth about this Divine Mission earlier.

“I tried,” Noctis winced, “It was… It was too hard. I didn’t want to disappoint you… or the nation or cause misfortune to anyone or dirty our name,” he stuttered, looking weak.

“Whether I am or am not disappointed with the outcome of the Divine Mission is not an important factor,” Regis stated, his head rising higher with a tall posture. “What does matter is that the mission is cleared.”

“…But it matters to me…” Noctis said quietly, almost ashamed.

Regis cast a warm look in Noctis’s direction, chuckling softly. He crossed his hands together over his stomach and leaned even further in his seat.

“Only you can really know the answer to your Divine Mission. If your gut is saying it’s Prompto, then it has to be him. I trust you.”

“So… so you’re okay with this?” Noctis couldn’t believe what he had just heard. His heart was hammering in his chest with forceful thumps.

Regis nodded, his eyes fatherly on Noctis.

“Yes. If Shiva blesses you, you’ll have my blessing, too. I have nothing against the outcome of your mission. I said I’d support you through anything, didn’t I? I’ve said that many times also to Cor when we’ve been talking about your mission, so he can also confirm that what I just said is the truth.”

“Bu—But,” Noctis stammered, not prepared for things to go this smoothly, “But what about the political uproar? The scandals this is going to cause? What about the heir and your wish for grandchildren? I know I can’t adopt, that’s against Lucian Royal Law.” He threw question after question, sitting upright and leaning towards his father.

“We will deal with those matters when they arise, not now. Remember what I said to you during your Divine Mission Ceremony? Nothing in this nation, in this line of blood, can go against the will of Astrals, or we will be doomed. That is the Rule of Lucis,” Regis reminded his son with a rather stern voice, but his eyes were soft. When Noctis and Prompto didn’t say anything, Regis cast them a tiny smile. “You have suffered enough already, Noctis. If this is your calling, then you should go for it. You, too, Prompto.” Regis’s attention drew to Prompto. “You both have gone through a lot, I know it. I can see it and sense it. Thus, I suggest you take it easy and relax now. Don’t worry too much about the future. We follow the Astrals with the mission’s outcome.”

Noctis couldn’t believe his ears. He understood.

“F—Father—“ Noctis began, but Prompto, who had been awfully quiet this whole time, shot his head up suddenly, his face twisting.

“Your Highness, it’s not just the marriage Noctis is worried about but me; I’m a manufactured human experiment MT from Niflheim! I arrived here with the refugee MT group when I was just a baby!” he cried out loud, eyes moist, “I will cause nothing but harm to Noctis and the Royal name of Lucis Caelum. I’m sorry! I’m so, so sorry!” Prompto sobbed, breaking into tears and pressing his face into his hands, crying sadly. “I will stain Noctis and Your Highness. I’m not worthy of being Noctis’s Life Partner. The city will turn against you all. How would they even accept me as Noctis’s chosen partner? The truth about me will spread sooner or later, and when that does it’ll all be over.” His sobs were interrupted with broken hiccups, lips quivering. He caught a shaky breath before continuing with a deep swallow, “…I just wanted you to know that, Your Highness. I’m so sorry…. I’m so sorry I’m not worthy to be your son-in-law. I’m not a real citizen of Insomnia but from the enemy lines. I’m the worst choice for Noctis, a lot worse than Stella would have been. Please, forgive me…” Prompto’s voice broke completely and he went silent.

“Prompto…” Noctis called his name with a compassionate and worried look. Prompto was crying against his freckled forearm, trying to suppress his sobs of failure.

Regis and Cor stared at Prompto in a disbelief and the quietness in the room grew heavier by each second. Noctis’s hand came up on Prompto’s upper back, rubbing. Neither one of them said anything.

“…Well, I was expecting some sort of a turn in events but I have to say that’s not what I assumed it to be…” Cor put his and Regis’s thoughts into words, his head slowly turning to Regis. The King’s eyes were narrow and he kept staring at the young, distressed couple in front of him. His lips pursed tightly together.

“Unexpected news indeed,” he agreed with Cor, “But if this is Shiva’s choice, I’ll trust it.”

“Prompto is definitely nothing even close to anything dangerous.” Cor smiled.

“Indeed. If Prompto had any malicious intentions towards Noctis or our kingdom, he’d have acted upon them already,” Regis replied to Cor with a similar smile.

“But I---“ Prompto whined back, but Regis stopped him.

“You better get ready for the Completion Ceremony, young man. Both of you. I have nothing against this outcome if this is Shiva’s wish,” he smiled.

Noctis’s looked his father suspiciously, lips pursing. His face darkened.

“What if this wasn’t because of Shiva?” he asked, eyes sort of sharp.

Regis only smiled, his radiant smile widening slightly.

“I would still support you. I want nothing more than my son - my only child - to be happy. A happy, content ruler is beneficial for the whole of Lucis. That’s the only thing your mother and I ever wished for you: happiness.” Regis replied.

Noctis couldn’t find any words. He sat there with his mouth open, unable to speak.

“You… You are honestly okay with the fact that I’m an MT?” Prompto managed to say when his sobs had quieted down to short, occasional snivels.

“It’s not an issue for us as Noctis’s family and friends. We know you, Prompto,” Regis assured. “As for everyone else’s opinions, we’ll deal with them later.”

Noctis and Prompto looked at each other in silence, their heads turning to each other very, very slowly. Prompto’s eyes were still teary and he looked as boggled as Noctis.

“Anything else, my son?” Regis asked.

“Eh, uh, no,” Noctis stuttered, shifting in his seat, “I… I just thought you’d be against all this. You know how bad a political choice this is for Lucis. There will be no pure blood heir, if Shiva blesses us. It’s always possible I’m wrong and the mission fails, too. It’s--” Noctis wanted to say that it all was nothing but a route to a bad end, but he couldn’t make himself say it now when Prompto was already distressed. He didn’t need any more burdens on his shoulders; Noctis was already asking so much from him.

“My job as your father is to support and guide you. You have my blessing if Shiva blesses you two, as well, for that is the essence of Divine Missions,” Regis repeated himself. “Our mission as Lucis Caelum is to follow the guidance of The Six Astrals, no matter what it would be. Our kingdom is built on that trust and obedience. That’s the most important tradition of all Lucis Caelum’s monarchy’s traditions. You know this, too, Noctis.”

Noctis heard what Regis was saying but it still felt unreal. He had a feeling something in this meeting, how it had turned out...something was definitely amiss, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.

“Your Highness, you do know the kingdom won’t accept this outcome: If Prompto is blessed by Shiva it means hard times for us all. This is, politically speaking, something unheard of and unexpected. It will raise some resistance, especially when a new crown heir will not be born as expected,” Cor noted to the king.

“The resistance will eventually die after the first shock, I’m sure of it,” Regis replied to Cor’s statement quickly. “This is a very good opportunity for Noctis to experience what it means to be a king, to rule the lands, and trusting your own gut feelings and the guidance from the Gods. How to be a real Lucis Caelum and be proud of it.”

“But an MT as King’s partner—“ Noctis tried once more to speak out his fears.

“Unheard of, yes, but there’s a first time for everything,” Regis shot that argument down, too. “Speaking of which; if you would, Prompto, I’d like to have a word with my future son-in-law.”

Prompto paled, his hand squeezing Noctis’s palm tighter.

“Informally,” Regis clarified his wish after seeing Prompto’s freaked out face. Then his attention shifted to Noctis. “We shall not discuss this matter anymore before the Mission Completion Ceremony as I have made my opinion clear. Now, we’re going to concentrate on happier things. We should have a small celebration for Prompto’s long awaited return. Noctis, go ask Ignis and the palace staff to arrange something for this evening. I’m in a mood for some celebration.” King Regis grinned rather impishly. “You know Prompto the best, so plan something nice for him with Ignis.”

“Oh no, I don’t need anything…!” Prompto tried waving his hands hastily in front of him with quick head shakes, but everyone ignored him.

“Noctis, one more thing though, before we start celebrations; the meeting with Stella has to be arranged or, instead of that, we need to send her a formal apology letter. We also need to invite Her Imperial Highness to your wedding as a compensation for the trouble we have caused for her,” Regis told Noctis, who agreed with tight lips.

“Yeah. I’ll do that. I’ll speak with Ignis and take responsibility for my choices,” Noctis promised. “Dad, please, don’t tell anyone about this. I think it’s better if the news goes out after the Mission Completion Ceremony. Only Ignis, Gladio and Iris know right now. Others probably suspect something but we… we don’t want to do anything until this is official.” Noctis licked his lips. “I will tell Luna as soon as she comes back. We were… We were thinking with Prompto that the ceremony should be held as soon as Luna arrives.”

“I will respect your wish and keep my lips sealed. Cor will do the same. When it comes to the ceremony, that’s something you need to talk with Lunafreya about. She will decide the best day for it, when the Astrals are most favorable,” Regis said, his attention turning then to Prompto. “So, my Prompto, let’s have a little chat. Don’t worry, I won’t keep you long. Noctis, if you would?”

Noctis had to leave Prompto to Regis and Cor and go forth to look for Ignis, even though he wanted to stay there to support Prompto. He reminded himself that Prompto was in good hands.

Walking further away from his father’s office Noctis assumed that Ignis could perhaps be found in the library. Ignis was, indeed, in the library, on the second floor, reading through some heavy looking book with blue leather covers. He closed the book when he noticed Noctis approaching him.

“Well you look very determined,” he noted to Noctis, who stopped in front of Ignis.

“We told father and Cor,” Noctis said sharply, “Prompto’s in there talking with Dad now.”

“Oh?” Ignis’s eyebrows rose up, so very high, as he put the blue book back from where he had taken it. “What did the King say?”

Noctis could tell Ignis hadn’t expected him to talk about this matter with the king so soon after Prompto’s return, though Ignis himself had been the one constantly reminding Noctis that telling about their findings to the King would ease up Noctis’s mind.

“He was fine with it,” Noctis answered, looking somehow unsure. “I was expecting him to be upset or take this a lot harder, but Dad basically went with it, saying that if Shiva blesses our relationship, he would also give us his blessing.”

“Such good news, Noct. I’m happy you finally told him. Is that why you’re here?”

“Yeah. Father wants to throw a party for Prompto’s return. Tonight,” Noctis explained.

Ignis hummed.

“That can be arranged. How big of a party does the King want?”

“Something small. Oh, and I should arrange something for Prompto, too. Maybe a present?” Noctis scratched the back of his head. Ignis laughed out loud at him.

“Noct, if I may, this calls for more than a present; I suggest a date.” Ignis gave Noctis sort of a pitying look.

Noctis looked somewhat bothered and shy by Ignis’s suggestion whilst rubbing the back of his neck.

“You’re right,” he finally admitted, cheeks warm.

“I can arrange something simple for you for tonight, if you wish?” Ignis offered.

“Sure, go ahead. I think you’ll be better with it anyway. I’ve wanted some alone time with Prompto,” Noctis mumbled, knowing that he wasn’t any Lord Camran, who in his memoirs told he had been wooing both women and men from right and left ever since he was 16, all the way till death from drinking too much had claimed him at the age of 55.

“I’ll make sure it will be discreet and that you two won’t be stumbled upon,” Ignis said, and to Noctis it sounded like Ignis was expecting him to jump on Prompto and ravish him as soon as they had been left alone. He kept his mouth closed about such thoughts, though.

“Thanks,” Noctis simply murmured, hoping Ignis couldn’t see his blush.

Prompto returned a few minutes later, still looking rather pale. Noctis dared to give him a short hug in front of Ignis, when Prompto sought his arms to soothe his still trembling body.

“How was it?” Noctis asked, curious, peering into Prompto’s face whilst holding him from his shoulders.

Prompto chuckled lightly despite his paleness.

“Fine. A lot better than I thought,” he said shyly.

“Dad didn’t say anything lame to you?” Noctis cocked his eyebrows worryingly, but Prompto shook his head.

“Nope. He was… very supportive.”

“…Can I ask what you talked about?” Noctis asked, frowning slightly at Prompto’s timid expression. He noticed how Ignis’s neck stretched in their direction with curiosity.

Prompto swallowed lightly and turned his head away, his eyes closing half.

“…About me,” he whispered quietly, like being ashamed. “The king said he’s surprised that I’m an MT and then we talked about how we should approach the matter. The King said we should meet with the PR-board and other important house servants and tell them the news, so they can act accordingly when the time for my ‘real nature’s revelation comes’,” he explained, shyly looking at Noctis from underneath his knitted eyebrows. “I guess he wants to form some kind of a plan… I’m sorry, I don’t really know any more. He kept it short and simple. Guess he thought I’m not educated enough to know about these political gimmicks – and he’s right about that.” Prompto bit his lip, unable to look at Noctis.

“The people and our neighbor nations will eventually learn about your background, so it’s a wise choice to consider how we deal with it,” Ignis put in politely, his voice compassionate.

“Are you okay with that?” Noctis asked, his eyebrow raised and got a short, rather sad chuckle from Prompto.

“Well, I’ve kept it as a secret for this long, so it’s nothing new to me...” he replied weakly. “I’ll just leave this matter for someone smarter than me. I’d just screw things up if I opened my mouth. Those high-class figures scare me.”

“They can be rather dry and boring,” Noctis tried to humor Prompto, failing.

“I must say, I’m surprised His Highness had such a casual attitude towards this news, which Noctis didn’t dare to bring forth earlier. The King taking this so lightly makes me suspect that either it hasn’t really sunk in yet or...King Regis is somehow a step ahead of us,” Ignis muttered, his eyes narrowing.

Noctis’s eyes widened.

“You mean Dad knew about it?” he gasped. He was still holding his hands on Prompto’s shoulders.

Ignis hummed, his eyes narrowing more.

“It’s possible, but I was thinking more like the king having put together a plan just in case we couldn’t find the partner. Or, perhaps he already guessed it was Prompto, based on how heavily you took Prompto’s supposed loss,” Ignis explained; his words made Prompto blush rapidly, but he remained quiet in Noctis’s soft hold.

“Well, Dad was the one who suggested we should do those fake Mission rounds around Lucis to keep people calm while we were waiting for Prompto’s return…” Noctis agreed, his words stretching out.

“All that for calm PR’s sake...but maybe there was something more to it.” Ignis sounded suspicious.  

“…You think that’s why the king accepted the news so easily?” Prompto chewed his lower lip anxiously.

Ignis’s head turned to Prompto slowly.

“That’s my guess.”

Noctis let go of Prompto, crossed his arms and snorted, his expression frustrated. His nose wrinkled with a displeased expression.

“If he knew or had suspicions, why didn’t he say so?” Noctis fumed, clearly miffed. “I wouldn’t have needed to be so scared and worried about everything if Dad said he thought it was Prompto.”

“Would you have agreed with his suggestion if he had been the one to bring it up?” Ignis asked.

Noctis’s arms crossed tighter around him. He was quiet for a while, then shrugged.

“It would have made this a lot easier. Perhaps I would've told him earlier after all.”

“All this is nothing but one guess after another,” Ignis sighed, but smiled understandingly to Noctis. “I’d say let’s forget all of the what ifs and concentrate on this evening, when the King is ready to give his blessing to you both. I promise that after the celebration you two can spend some time together. Once the palace knows about you two, they will also understand to leave you two alone as much as possible. Well, for Prompto this doesn’t feel so long – only very bizarre for sure, though – but Noct here has been missing you for two years,” Ignis’s attention turned to Prompto, who blushed once more, this time all to way up to his ears.

“I uh… I’d like that. To spend some one on one time with Noct,” he admitted shyly, his chin pressing down cutely.

Noctis’s face flamed at that sight immediately, but he tried to act cool and keep his composure.

“I want that, too.” He cleared his throat, ignoring Ignis’s tiny smug smirk, “I… I need to talk. No, I mean, we need to talk. Before Luna gets back. I don’t know when the Astrals will be the most favorable to us to hold the Completion Ceremony, but I promise now, Prompto, when Ignis is here witnessing it, too: We advance with your pace only. You say when you want to have the ceremony. I know there are many favorable moments in the year when the Astrals’ love shines upon mankind the strongest, so we don’t have to take the first date which Luna suggests. I mean, another suitable date can be right behind the corner. I… I don’t want to pressure you, Prompto. I know how much I’m asking from you and—“

“It’s fine!” Prompto suddenly yelped, cutting Noctis off. He looked at Noctis keenly, with his eyebrows slightly knit together. “Let’s talk with Miss Lunafreya when she gets back about it all.”

Noctis could tell it wasn’t completely fine with Prompto, but he didn’t want to argue or dig into the matter more in front of Ignis. Besides, the faster they could hold this evening’s little party, the sooner he could take Prompto on this little date Ignis had promised to arrange for them. Noctis definitely wanted to spend some time with Prompto and have a chance to talk with him face to face about everything. They hadn’t talked much at all last night but rather had just enjoyed each other’s company quietly. Noctis wanted nothing more than to hold and kiss Prompto. To press him tightly against his chest and tell him how important he is with sweet whispers into his ears. The sooner the better. As much as possible with his collar on.

Yet, he needed to take it easy. He needed to remember it hadn’t been longer than a day for Prompto. He needed to remember and understand that Prompto’s world had suddenly turned upside down and, knowing Prompto, he would have second guesses about everything what was going on: About his role as Noctis’s Queen, about Noctis’s love for him, about their future, and most likely about his own feelings towards Noctis, too.

The last part hurt his heart, but he kept his lips pressed tightly together and offered a smile to Prompto and Ignis. However, it was Ignis who turned to talk to Prompto, not Noctis.

“Oh, Prompto, I almost forgot; your phone can be salvaged from the water damage,” he said. “It’s unsure if they can save your photos and contacts, but the phone should work just fine.”

“Ah, that’s good!” Prompto sighed out, relieved. “There are some really embarrassing photos of Noct so I kinda hope they’ll be able to save the photos.”

Noctis’s face fell at Prompto’s mischievous looking grin.

“…Cut that out,” he huffed, to Ignis’s and Prompto’s amusement, and turned his attention – like a small protest – to the small celebration arrangement.

Prompto was shooed away from Noctis due to his Holy collar to avoid health problems, and it was painfully obvious that neither one of them was happy about it. With a rather long face, Noctis let a servant guide Prompto to some other spot in the palace, knowing that they could spend time together later in the evening again. Maybe not for long, since Prompto had already been around Noctis a lot in the past 24 hours, but right now, Noctis would be happy even with ten minutes of privacy with Prompto. The magick department would most likely soon figure out a way for Prompto to protect himself from Noctis’s Holy, unless the department allowed Noctis to remove the collar so soon.

Getting rid of the collar was what Noctis hoped for when he turned to listen to Ignis’s instructions for this evening; a deep sigh running out from his heavy chest.

 

 ---------------------------------------

 

Prompto had been forced to sit in a room given to him, while everyone else was participating in the event arrangements. However, time alone – which just went on and on - was boring. Not even Gladio was there to entertain him, nor Iris, as they both had wanted to help everyone to ready one of the conference rooms for the evening. Prompto sat at the window and looked down at the forever dark Insomnia, his lips pouting.

It was too quiet for Prompto’s taste. The quiet always made him think too much, hear his own thoughts too loudly. It made his soul restless, and eerily it also reminded him of that dark emptiness he had just visited. It chilled his spine and made him let out a visible shiver from his body. Prompto rubbed his upper arms. His skin was cold.

He hadn’t let Noctis know about it, but he was glad Ignis had insisted he'd go away from Noctis. Happy that the servant had guided him here. The Holy around Noctis’s neck was eating his energies quicker and more hungrily than Prompto had thought it would, yet he didn’t regret last night with Noctis. It had felt odd and Prompto had barely slept, scared that he might wake up in a strange place – or that Noctis next to him, glued against his side with soft snores, was nothing but a dream. If he closed his eyes, Prompto might wake up again far away from Noctis. He hadn’t dared to sleep until it had been too much of a battle to fight against the heaviness and burning sensation in his eyes. Prompto didn’t know how much or less he had slept, but now, when his skin felt cold and head hurt, he cursed himself for not considering he needed sleep in order to stay safe from Holy.

Holy… Prompto could only imagine what kind of a turmoil had faced Noctis for him to be forced to wear such a heavily enchanted collar on him for the last two years. Pressing his chin down slowly, still rubbing his bare, chilled arms, Prompto pondered his life, pondered Noctis’s life, pondered their future together. A part of him was happy to find out Noctis did have feelings for him, and another part was feeling guilty for making Noctis go through something so devastating as a darkening. A voice of reason tried to tell Prompto it wasn’t his fault  - he hadn’t disappeared voluntarily – but he still felt somehow responsible.

Noctis looked older now. Older and tired. Guess that’s what happened with constant Holy exposure and worry. Biting his lip, Prompto hoped he could make up for all the mess he had caused for Noctis somehow.

There was a sudden knock at the door, and Prompto turned around, startled. A servant with a phone excused himself in. Prompto was utterly happy to get his phone back. He thanked the servant multiple times, Mr. Argentum’s praise making him blush. Prompto had been sure they couldn’t save his phone – he had feared the photos they had taken with Noctis, Ignis, and Gladio were gone for good. As soon as the servant who had brought the phone for Prompto into his room was gone, Prompto opened his phone, eagerly waiting for the familiar screen popping up.

It took a little longer from the phone to open than Prompto had anticipated but eventually it worked fine. He was surprised to see his contract with the telecommunication company was still valid – he suspected it might have been Noctis’s doings – and before Prompto could go to look at the embarrassing Noctis pictures, his phone let out a message alarm. And another. And another. Another and another and another. In a never-ending flood, so much that the phone peeped sadly, announcing that the message storage was full and Prompto should delete some of the messages.

Prompto sighed with a soft smirk. Figures. Two years’ worth of messages here. Advertisement companies, probably a few friends here or there. Perhaps even his grandma would have send him something – though most likely Prompto would be dead before grandmother would contact him again.

Opening the message folder, he saw that the first message was from Noctis. And the second one. And third one. Scrolling through them he noticed that majority of the messages were from Noctis. There were a few from Gladio, Ignis and Iris, but most of the messages had been sent from Noctis’s phone.

Prompto swallowed, his fingers suddenly trembling. Hesitantly he opened the first message from Noctis, sent on the same day he had gone missing, almost two and a half years ago.

_“Where are you? Are you okay? Reply asap when you get this.”_

The second message was the same.

_“We’re worried, Prompto. Please reply to this asap.”_

Majority of the messages from the first days after Prompto’s disappearance were Noctis’s frantic calls of trying to reach Prompto. Then there was a long pause with no messages, until one had been sent in the next month from Noctis’s number:

_“I miss you.”_

Prompto swallowed, as the tight feeling around his throat had gotten heavier, refusing to be ignored. He blinked the moisture away from his eyes, going through the messages. There was again a long pause, until short messages started showing up again.

_“I heard you’re only missing, just borrowed. I asked Shiva and she said that. God, I’m so happy. Please come back soon. I miss you. I’m also sorry for everything. I heard from Ignis about your past. Forgive me. I should have protected you. Maybe you wouldn’t have gone missing then.”_

_“Are you alright where you are? I’m getting better. Don’t worry about me. I’m waiting for you here and when you come back, I’ll show you something neat. That’s a promise.”_

_“Your chocobo toy got dropped from palace’s rooftop today. We were fooling around and taking some pics of it for your return, when Iris tossed it up in the air a bit too near the roof’s edge and whelp. There it went. Luckily it landed inside the palace’s yard and didn’t get run over.  One of its bead eyes broke but Ignis can replace it with a new one.  We also washed him for you and now he smells like Avant fabric softener so that he’s soft for you to hug when you come back.  
It’s clear now that chocobos CAN’T FLY.”_

Prompto had to chuckle at that message, sniffling. He could picture that message in his head clearly, though he hadn’t yet seen Iris. With a deep flutter in his heart Prompto went through more messages. They were diary-like messages from Noctis, him telling him what he had done, where he had been, and so on. He had sent a message about how he was now going rounds with his Divine Mission again – fake ones – to keep the nation calm, though the end of his message simply stated _“…but I already know to whom my heart belongs to.”_

The more Prompto read Noctis’s messages, the guiltier he started to feel. His messages had a sense of yearning in them and Prompto couldn’t help the sensation that they had also been Noctis’s way of staying sane. To keep his darkness at bay. Some of the messages oozed sadness and longing more intensely, and Prompto couldn’t stop his tears from spilling out when he read them.

_“I never knew how dark this world could be without your sunshine. Wherever you are now, I hope you are shining there radiantly.”_

_“I’m lying in my bed. If I’m honest, I haven’t been able to eat for a week. I’m really worried you won’t come back. It’s been over a year now. I miss your voice and your laughter. I stopped playing King’s Knight because it’s not fun anymore without you. At times like these I keep thinking of the times when we kissed. If I knew I couldn’t kiss you in a long, long time like this, I would have kissed you more while you were here.”_

_“You are the best, Prompto. Know that.”_

_“If only I could hear you. Or see you, even in a dream. I want to know that you are alright. Are you hurt? Are you calling for me? Because if you are, I’m sorry. I can’t hear you. Otherwise I’d be there right away. Please, give me a sign. Anything. Let me know you are alright.”_

_“I’m so sorry for everything. I love you, Prompto.”_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next update is here when my proofreaders are both done. Thank you Rynn and Shake-a-mane for proofreading!


	22. Presents for Prompto

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Prompto meets Iris and gets presents from Noctis.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Partly Prompto POV coming now! I thank you for your comments for the last chapter - I will reply to each and everyone one later. I'll never leave your comments without replies, but sometimes it takes longer than I want from me to reply to them.
> 
> I'll return back home on Saturday after spending whole summer at mom's place and my friend from Osaka comes to stay at my place soon. When I'm alone at last, I should be able to write more.
> 
> Thank you Rynn and Shake-a-mane for the excellent job with chapter proofreading, yet again!

In the end, the planned party for Prompto’s return was held without Prompto. His health dropped dramatically the same evening the arrangements were finished. Though he tried to keep up a brave face to fool everyone, he was ordered to stay in bed for the next few days, whether he liked it or not – and Noctis was prohibited from seeing him until Prompto’s health had returned to normal. 

Noctis wasn’t happy about this restriction, but he sucked it up and let Prompto be. In the meantime, the palace’s magick department was developing Holy protection for Prompto, though when they had to be told the truth about Prompto’s heritage, the magick department replied that they were a bit unsure if the protections they would have given a human would work for both MTs and humans. However, they promised to do their best, silently understanding that the matter was grave one. The King himself had underlined to everyone working in the magick department that the truth about Prompto needed to stay inside the department; this included any rumors about the nature of Prompto’s and the crown heir’s relationship. It was obvious to Noctis that while he had promised Prompto they should advance with his pace only, they couldn’t postpone the Completion Ceremony for too long. It was starting to become obvious for everyone in the palace what was going on between him and Noctis, and it made things difficult. Sooner or later the news would spill outside the palace walls and Noctis knew it was the best if the news was delivered officially in the ceremony. In the back of his head, Noctis hoped that Prompto would understand and that Lunafreya would return to Insomnia soon. From what he had heard about Lunafreya, she seemed busier in Tenebrae than he had thought. She hadn’t even replied to any of his messages yet.

Noctis’s conscience didn’t lighten up the next day either and Ignis casually suggested that perhaps Noctis should go to get something nice for Prompto with Gladio. Perhaps it would boost Prompto’s vitality and energy levels. Noctis couldn’t – nor did he want to – argue back, so he fetched Gladio and asked him to accompany him to a nearby mall. He needed Gladio’s protection now more than ever: The downside of the Divine Mission going on for so long was that people had slowly started to recognize Noctis’s face. It was a custom in Lucis Caelum’s bloodline that the crown heir would stay as invisible as a commoner, away from people’s eyes, until they had been crowned the next king or queen after the Divine Mission’s end. Things were a bit different now since Noctis’s mission was taking so long and he was sort of hesitant when he steered the Regalia out from the palace’s garage, Gladio sitting next to him in the front seat. 

“Prompto’s taking things the hard way, eh?” Gladio asked sourly, looking bothered. Noctis wasn’t sure if Gladio was bothered because he was worried for Prompto or because he was worried for Noctis’s and the kingdom's future. Noctis licked his lips quickly.

“That’s because of this Holy,” he simply replied, stopping at a red light.

Gladio was silent, thinking, then casually leaned back in his seat.

“Better get him some nice present then, eh?” he simply stated.

Noctis pursed his lips. 

“Yeah. Something real nice,” Noctis agreed, trying to smile a little.

Gladio joined his grin, looking relaxed.

“There’s the official Chocobo-Moogle store at Colligo. After the renovation, they’ve got a bigger storage which means more stuff on the shelves.”

“Ah, I had forgotten the renovation!” Noctis gasped. “They’re finished with it now, right? Let’s go there.”

“To get Pickle-Tickle a friend,” Gladio hummed approvingly. 

Noctis pondered if  Prompto would really want another chocobo toy besides Pickle-Tickle, especially when the street lottery plushie was so dear to Prompto. It had become dear to Noctis, too. He couldn’t remember how many times he had just lied on his bed, hugging the chocobo plushie tightly while thinking about Prompto. If he used some imagination, he could almost smell Prompto’s distinct scent. He had felt himself, in all honesty, depressed when Pickle-Tickle had dropped from the rooftop and ended up in the washing machine, taking the lingering scents of Prompto away. 

Biting his lower lip unconsciously, Noctis had to admit himself that he was honestly worried for Prompto’s well-being. His sudden appearance had only made it clearer that Noctis needed to get himself ready for the mission’s clearance and for everything which would follow it. Now, when his father had promised his blessing for them – and his mother had also sent a note that she was aware of Noctis’s journey – the nagging feeling of huge responsibility for the nation’s future and Prompto’s safety burdened Noctis. Steering the car closer to the Colligo mall, Noctis kept his face as neutral and cool as possible. He needed to stay in check for Prompto’s sake. Needed to get rid of the collar soon. He had to stay calm and keep the darkness away from his heart and mind.

Noctis followed Gladio rather absently into the Chocobo-Moogle store. It still smelled like it was just renovated, with dry wood and brand new, shining paint. Every corner was bursting with chocobo and moogle related goodies, with a few cactuar items as well. Noctis lingered longer in the collectibles’ section, wondering if Prompto would appreciate a vintage chocobo statue from the 750’s. Feeling himself rather tired, Noctis had to admit he actually didn’t know what kind of chocobo items Prompto liked the best. He had never visited his room nor seen his home. What things did Prompto like, besides photos and girls and obviously Noctis himself?

“Hey, take a look at this,” Gladio called to Noctis, as though sensing Noctis needed some help. He nodded towards a round chocobo toy with narrow, closed eyes.

“Wow, is that a Fat Chocobo?” Noctis walked to Gladio, inspecting the toy which was now in Gladio’s hands.

“Looks like a new model,” Gladio muttered, turning the toy around in his hands.

“It’s a special edition, made just for this store,” a bright-voiced young clerk with pigtails informed them both from the counter, where she was serving another customer.

Gladio and Noctis took a look at each other. A small smile rose up to Noctis’s lips.

“I think that will do it.” He chuckled.

“So, Pickle-Tickle will get a buddy after all.” Gladio joined Noctis’s chuckle, tossing the toy to Noctis. “Good for the lonesome chocobo, eh?”

Noctis’s eyes flickered with something forlorn for a second, but he snorted, sounding amused.

“Yeah. Good for it,” he agreed with Gladio.

“Let’s get something else, too. Something nicer than a toy.” Gladio was already gesturing for Noctis to pay for the toy, earning a boggled stare from Noctis.

“More?”

“Yeah. The guy’s missed two birthdays, two New Years and Valentine’s Days, too. Besides, if you ask me, he doesn’t look too good.” Gladio basically whispered the end of his statement, his brows knitting together. “Could do some good for him to have something else to think about for a while, don’t ya think?”

Noctis’s lips pursed.

“…You’re right. I better spoil him since he’s finally here,” he admitted.  He wanted to ask what Gladio thought about Prompto being his Divine partner regarding their future together as Lucis’s rulers – as they hadn’t really talked with Gladio about it all when Prompto had been gone -  but this wasn’t the right place nor the right time for that. Thus, Noctis swallowed his question and proceed to buy the Fat Chocobo, asking it to be wrapped into a pretty box – and ignored the odd look on Gladio’s face which flashed in the corner of his eye. 

 

\--------------------------------------------------

 

“Where’s Noct?”

That was the first question which came out as a mumble from Prompto’s half-tired face. Iris peered down at Prompto’s face, smiling brightly.

“You’re awake?” she asked, cocking her head and touching Prompto’s shoulder gently. “Noct’s not here right now but he will be back soon.”

“Where is he?” Prompto pushed himself slowly up by his elbows, then sat up with help from Iris.

“Out with Cor,” Iris replied, inspecting Prompto’s face. “Don’t worry. I don’t think it’s going to take long.”

“…My head feels hazy,” Prompto murmured, shaking his head. His skin looked paler than usual. 

Iris reached up to Prompto and brought him into a tight, warm hug. Her eyes were a little moist.

“Well, you’ve been sleeping a whole day now,” she whispered near his ear. “Welcome back, Prompto. We’ve missed you.”

Prompto could feel his heart breaking a bit by Iris’s voice. He returned her hug, his eyes apologetic.

“Yeah. It’s good to be back,” he said quietly, patting Iris’s back. Iris broke the hug and looked at Prompto with gentle eyes.

“The medical department said that your health problems are the effects of Noctis’s Holy and the time skip, so you should take it easy and sleep as much as possible. They couldn’t say what other effects the time skip might cause. The magick department is helping them out with this – oh, and I heard they had come up with something which might help you with Noctis, but it’s not ready yet.” Iris kept talking like a bubbling machine. “They recommended you some mineral salt baths when you wake up. I talked with Noctis and them.”

“You saw Noct?” Prompto asked curiously. 

“Yeah. I’ve decided to keep my eyes on both of you so that I can help if there’s a need,” she said while smiling brightly.

“Thanks, Iris. You’re a good girl,” Prompto said, and this time he really saw Iris properly; she was prettier than he had remembered. The bowl cut with bangs fit her face nicely and she looked like a fine young woman.

Prompto blushed involuntarily. 

Iris was now almost as old as he was. It felt weird and the awkwardness just made Prompto blush even more. He cleared his throat.

“Noct must be worried. I’m sorry for the trouble I caused.”

“Well, I can’t lie; he has  been worried.” Iris crossed her arms and tapped her chin thoughtfully with her index finger. Then a smile spread gently on her lips. “But he’ll be happy when he comes back and finds you awake.”

Prompto nodded with a small smile, humming.

“Can you walk? Should I call someone to bring you a wheelchair?” Iris asked and Prompto sputtered, surprised.

“I’m fine, fine!” he gasped, waving his hands hastily in front of his chest. 

“Can you manage a shower? You sweated quite a lot while sleeping so I’d think you’d want to clean yourself before dinner.” Iris’s cocked her eyebrow worryingly.

Indeed, when Prompto took a hasty look at his body he noticed that his shirt’s armpits and chest were soaked. He blushed a bit from being ashamed of his dirtiness but buffed his chest as a decoy.

“Yeah, no problem, sweetheart.” Prompto grinned with a bright smile, patting his chest. “I’m all good and after shower, even better.”

Iris scanned Prompto from head to toe silently, seemingly weighing Prompto’s words against his tired looking face, but then her arms relaxed from her chest and she nodded.

“I’ll go ask the kitchen to prepare you a meal. It will be served here, just in case you have overestimated your energies and need to lay down after the bath. I’ll ask someone to guard the bathroom door. We wouldn’t want you to pass out in the shower and hit your head, now would we?”

Prompto wanted to argue back that he wasn’t feeling that weak but he simply just nodded slightly to Iris, feeling how his chest filled with a warm feeling. It felt nice to be cared for. 

Iris made her way to the nearby dark drawer and pulled out a fresh outfit for Prompto.

“Here you go, Prompto. Let me check if the bathroom has towels,” Iris chirped and was already heading to the bathroom connected to Prompto’s room when Prompto took the outfit from Iris’s hand. He slid up from his bed.

Prompto stared at her back as it disappeared into the bathroom. She had clearly grown taller, too, and Prompto judged with his photographer’s eyes that she was most likely almost as tall as he was now. Something which made Iris closer to how Prompto was. It felt awkward. By now, Prompto should have been older, maybe wider and heavier, too, but he was still the same as always. His face had softness in it, he was lean and thin and when Iris appeared back from the bathroom, Prompto realized he felt himself almost like a little boy compared to Iris, who was beautiful like a young woman.

“All’s good! I’ll go ask for a guard for your help,” Iris informed Prompto happily, but then her face got serious.. Her eyebrows knit together. “Are you alright?”

Prompto blinked hastily, pulling up a smile on his thin lips.

“Yeah… Yeah, it’s just… The last time I saw you, you looked different,” he wove his confusion into a joke, grinning sheepishly at Iris. 

“Yeah?” Iris asked.

“I uh… just thought that you look pretty with that new haircut. If I may!” he hastily added, sensing that it was perhaps not the best idea to flatter Gladio’s little sister out of the blue like that. Had she become more muscular, too, or were his eyes betraying him?

Iris placed her hands behind her back and giggled softly, swaying her hips from side to side cutely.

“Thanks, Prompto. I mean it.” She smiled at him.

Prompto was about to excuse himself into the bath, but Iris stopped him, touching his upper arm softly as he tried to pass by Iris.

“How did you like Noct?” Iris asked and something almost forbidden glistened in her eyes.

Prompto’s head tilted. He could feel his cheeks warming up.

“What do you mean?” Prompto half-stuttered, earning a short chuckle from Iris.

“Well, it’s been a long time for Noctis, too, you know.” She grinned almost impishly, making the blush on Prompto’s face become more visible and hotter.

Prompto cleared his throat. It felt awkward to be connected to Noctis like that, in a romantic sense, and be told about it by someone else. He swallowed his awkwardness and shyness down; he’s gotta get used to this. It was his future as Noctis’s partner.

“He’s… nice,” Prompto circled his opinion shyly, averting his eyes from Iris’s gaze.

“Ah, I knew you liked him back.” Iris hummed, pleased. “You must have liked him for a long time now.”

Prompto was surprised by Iris’s words and he didn’t know if they were meant as a regular comment or as a question. He pushed his chin down, hoping his face wouldn’t look like an overcooked tomato.

“I… I guess I have,” he replied in all honestly, not being able to pinpoint when exactly he had developed feeling for Noctis. In the end, that didn’t even matter; what mattered was that his heart belonged to Noctis and Prompto was happy that Noctis had given his heart to him, too.

“Ah, you’re so cute when you blush like that,” Iris teased Prompto impishly, patting his upper arm. “I’ll go ask the guard to come here now. Don’t pass out in the shower, okay?”

Prompto was left alone, standing next to the bed as Iris went on her way to find someone to look after Prompto. He squeezed the clean clothes in his hands tightly.

Funny, when he thought about it now; he had always dreamed about Noctis returning his feelings, and now it finally happened. Prompto was happy about it and also sad that Noctis had needed to go through so many years alone. It stung Prompto. If he had needed to be alone without Noctis for two years, he would have gone insane with the longing. Noctis’s story of him getting darkened because of grief sounded more and more logical to Prompto, though he still didn’t understand how it was possible for someone non-daemon to darken like that.

But, on the other hand, it shouldn’t have been possible for him to disappear for two years, either.

Prompto shook his head, shaking all his thoughts away from his head, and went straight into the shower. He stopped briefly in front of the mirror, taking a look at his pale face. His face looked the same as always and it just reinforced to Prompto the strange time skip he had had. His head hurt.

The shower soothed him and while washing his hair, Prompto could hear someone sent by Iris enter the room and stop next to the bathroom door. Prompto pursed his lips, wondering if his life would be under constant surveillance like this from now on. If so, Prompto wished Gladio could keep his eye on him the same way he looked after Noctis. The idea of someone unknown constantly following Prompto’s every move didn’t appeal to him at all. 

When he had dressed and dried his hair with the hairdryer, not bothering to fix his hair to his usual style this time, Prompto opened the bathroom door, ready to greet the guard, but instead his eyes were met with familiar blue eyes.

“Noctis!” Prompto gasped, surprised.

Noctis was immediately at Prompto’s neck, hugging him tightly. His body felt warm and secure to Prompto.

“…Prompto,” Noctis breathed softly into Prompto’s neck, sounding relieved.

“Why are you here?” Prompto asked, still boggled yet happy about this sudden event.

“I heard Iris asking LeBlanc to come look after you just in case something happened, so I stopped LeBlanc and basically demanded to let me come here instead,” Noctis replied, hugging Prompto tighter. 

“Aaaw, thanks, buddy.” Prompto’s heart felt warm and content.

“It’s so good to see you on your feet.” Noctis broke the hug, looking Prompto keenly in his eyes, his hands on Prompto’s shoulders.

“I’m sorry if I made you worried,” Prompto offered, but Noctis declined his apology immediately.

“Nah, it’s good. I’m sorry I poisoned you with the Holy.” He grinned sheepishly, but Prompto could tell there was a hint of sadness in it. He ignored it.

“Well, you won’t be poisoning me anymore.” Prompto smiled from ear to ear. Noctis’s eyes glimmered.

“They found a way to protect you from the Holy?” he asked, earning a positive nod from Prompto.

“Yep. It will be ready in a few days.”

“…In a few days…” Noctis’s face fell. “I thought it’d be faster than that.”

“I thought so too, but no can do,” Prompto agreed with a pouting lower lip. 

Noctis’s cheeks flushed suddenly and he averted his eyes from Prompto.

“It’s just… I want to spend time with you. Together. As long as possible, you know,” Noctis admitted shyly. “I’d like us to catch up, so to speak, before all the hassle with the ceremony starts.” The redness on his cheekbones had become even more notable. 

Prompto couldn’t help from blushing himself; it still felt like a dream to Prompto to think that Noctis was that much into him, not to mention that Shiva was supporting their newly found love. Prompto would have lied if he said he didn’t feel like a silly teenager in love when Noctis turned slowly to look at Prompto, with the cutest smile in his eyes. His blue eyes were so filled with love Prompto’s heart leaped.

“…I want that, too,” Prompto finally found his voice, his cheeks getting warmer underneath Noctis’s loving gaze. 

“Luna won’t be here until next week unless her schedule has changed, so we should get a few days just for ourselves,” Noctis said, sounding hopeful. 

Prompto had to join in Noctis’s hopeful mood. His heart fluttered warmly when he thought about being able to spend quality time with Noctis – just the two of them – and there wouldn’t be any collar problems either.

“Sounds good,” he replied to Noctis, their fingers entwining together. Prompto blushed.

“I will also ask Luna to check out my Light & Darkness balance when she gets here.” Noctis had stepped slyly closer to Prompto, his head tilting to the side. “Perhaps I can get rid of this collar for good.”

“You’ve had it for more than two years. You must be happy to finally have a chance to kiss it goodbye,” Prompto mumbled, unable to look at Noctis in the eye. He could see from the corner of his own eyes how Noctis was staring gently at his face. 

“Well, I don’t know when I can kiss it goodbye, but I know something I want to kiss right now,” Noctis whispered, his voice smooth in Prompto’s ears.

Prompto flushed up to his ears. He sniggered, trying to look smug. 

“Oh?” Prompto’s eyebrows rose playfully, like he didn’t know what Noctis was talking about.

Noctis only chuckled softly, half of the amused chuckle coming through his nose. He pressed his lips onto Prompto’s mouth, his hands entwining around Prompto’s neck. Prompto welcomed Noctis’s kiss with red cheeks, his heart beating fiercely in his chest. To be kissed by Noctis – the one he had had such a big crush on for a long, long time – made Prompto’s knees weak and his chest fill up with happiness which he could barely contain within his lithe body. It spilled over his chest, rising up to his cheeks as warm spots, decorating his freckles beautifully. Prompto’s body shivered.

Noctis kept the kiss short, shorter than Prompto would have wanted, but he understood it wasn’t safe for him. With a bit of a disappointed look, Noctis withdrew himself further from Prompto, breaking their connection.

“I think the kitchen is done cooking your meal, if you’re feeling up to eating still,” Noctis said. 

“Let’s go, Noct. I’m hungry!” Prompto smiled, knowing that his cheeks were still red from the kiss.

“I’m sorry I can’t eat with you, but I’ll catch you again later today for a moment,” Noctis apologized, walking Prompto down the hallway. “You remember where The Little Dining Room is?”

“Yeah, I think I’ve got it,” Prompto said, giving Noctis a sad puppy look. “You’re not walking me there?”

Noctis had to laugh softly at Prompto’s sad look. His hand reached up to ruffle Prompto’s hair, to which Prompto protested.

“I’ll see you later, okay?” Noctis promised, his hand staying on the top of Prompto’s head for a while, until he walked away to handle whatever thing he needed to do first.

With a sigh, Prompto headed to The Little Dining Room, getting lost only twice on his way. He noticed the palace staff treated him with extreme care and attention, with odd humility in their behavior: They bowed and curtsied at him, spoke in a soft and formal way and were acting totally different than during any other of Prompto’s visits to the palace. Prompto could come up with one reason only: they understood how important he was to Noctis. He hoped they hadn’t started to figure out that he was the one meant for Noctis, but he couldn’t deny that possibility either. Silently, Prompto thought about asking more about the recent years in Noctis’s life.

Almost like Ignis had heard Prompto’s thoughts, he came across Ignis in front of The Little Dining Room. Ignis was  elegantly carrying a tray full of food; his head turning to Prompto when he noticed him from the corner of his eye.

“Ah, Prompto. You have a perfect timing. I was just about to call you to tell you your food is ready,” he greeted Prompto, who stopped to inspect the delicious-looking meal in Ignis’s hold.

“You made this?” he asked, earning a tiny, proud smile in return.

“I’d hate to miss a chance to make a healthy dinner for you,” Ignis simply replied, walking with his head held up high into the dining area. He placed the tray on the table and started to set the dishes in their rightful places.

Prompto took a seat from the table, rather hesitantly. His stomach growled at the sweet scent coming from Ignis’s cooking.

“The Missing Bride’s Menu includes Melcadio meat pie for an entree and Memory Lane pastries for dessert. For drink, vitamin C rich Tenebraen orange juice,” Ignis informed Prompto. Prompto completely missed the name of Ignis’s menu as his eyes were fixated on the pie.

“My favorite! You remembered,” he breathed out, delighted.

“Well, of course I’d remember your favorite food,” Ignis smiled gently at Prompto and took a seat next to him. “I hope you don’t mind if I keep you company while you eat. Noctis is worried about you and doesn’t wish for you to be left alone after yesterday’s sickness.”

“I don’t mind. I’d like some company.” Prompto was already digging in the food, realizing just now how empty and hollow his stomach felt. 

“It’s good to see you’ve got an appetite. Means you’re healthy,” Ignis pointed out to Prompto, who nodded with his mouth full.

“It sounds strange but you know, I really missed your cooking.” Prompto swallowed a big piece of pie. 

“Hmmm, seems like your body is starting to catch up with the time skip.” Ignis leaned against the table’s edge, his eyes keenly on Prompto.

Prompto stopped eating, his fork hanging half-way in the air going towards his mouth. He placed his utensils down, frowning.

“What do you think will happen to me?” he asked quietly, his eyes cast down.

Ignis stayed still.

“Regarding the time skip’s effects or everything else?” 

Prompto thought for a while.

“…Both.”

Ignis leaned back in his seat, his eyes never leaving Prompto. Prompto continued his eating but the frown didn’t disappear from his face.

“Unfortunately, no one has ever encountered such a time skip, so we can only guess. Judging from your appetite and current state, I’d say nothing serious will not happen – but this is speculation, only,” he said with a calm tone.

“Yeah, I feel a bit wonky, but I don’t know if it’s the time skip or the Holy,” Prompto said.

A small smile rose up to Ignis’s lips. He chuckled.

“Spending a bit too much time with Noctis, perhaps?” he joked, his elegant voice sounding a bit too mean in Prompto’s ears. He couldn’t help the blush which rose up to his cheekbones. Despite the hotness on his face, Prompto kept eating, but he couldn’t look at Ignis.

“I’m worried about Noctis. That long with that much Holy can’t be good for him,” Prompto stuttered, hoping Ignis wouldn’t tease him more if he changed the subject.

A long, low hum rose from Ignis’s throat.

“Noct’s a sturdy guy and his high MP levels help him to deal with the Holy. Yet, you are right; it’s not healthy in the long run to be exposed to Holy. Doctors prescribe some medication to nullify Holy exposure so that it doesn’t lead to an addiction and Gladio and I have been helping Noctis out, too: me with a special menu and Gladio with a harder training regime to burn any extra Holy poisons out of his body.”

Prompto listened to Ignis with a stern face, his lips as two thin lines.

“But there’s no need to worry about Noctis. Please concentrate on getting better and healthier yourself. You will soon get something to help you with Noctis’s Holy and then you two can be freer around each other,” Ignis opened his mouth quickly when Prompto remained quiet.  

“Yeah. Noct and I talked about how we’d like to spend some time together before the news goes out,” Prompto agreed with Ignis, saying it all with a very low voice, hoping no one could hear his conversation with Ignis.

“Sounds reasonable and understandable.” Ignis nodded. “However, you two shouldn’t worry too much about what the future brings. I’m positive things will turn out fine. Eventually, the nation will settle into this new era and our enemies raging a war against us for such a petty reason sounds strange to my ears, if I may.”

“Which one would be worse, the nation hating us or the enemy nation hating us?” Prompto’s voice shivered.

Ignis was quiet for a while, until he smiled softly from the corner of his lips.

“There’s no use to pondering that now.”

 

\------------------------------------

 

Prompto’s room door opened with a faint creaking sound. Prompto’s head rose up from the book Ignis had given him to study with his own pace. Ignis had stressed that it was important for Prompto to start his studies of royalty as soon as possible, now when the king had promised his blessing for Prompto, too.

“Am I interrupting something?” Noctis’s head peeked inside the room. Prompto put his book away.

“Nope. Come on in.”

Noctis entered the room rather timidly, his hands behind his back. He kicked the door closed with his foot. Prompto stared at Noctis curiously.

“Uh-oh, did you do something bad?” he joked, grinning from ear to ear. He gave room for Noctis to sit next to him on the black leather sofa. 

“Hopefully not,” Noctis replied sheepishly, and his answer made Prompto even more curious.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I went for a little trip with Gladio while you slept,” Noctis began, looking at Prompto lovingly underneath his brows. “I got you little something.”

Prompto half-squealed from the joy. He tossed his book away from his lap and turned fully towards Noctis, his eyes shining.

“Presents? For me?” he asked with a sigh, seemingly happy. Noctis had to laugh at his expression.

“I didn’t know you were so into presents,” he said. Prompto just blushed.

“Well, it’s something from you so of course I’d be happy,” he defended himself, his expression slightly awkward. “…And, you know… It’s been a long time since I got any presents…” he added quietly, his eyes forlorn.

Noctis’s smile remained on his lips as he inspected Prompto, his hands still behind his back.

“I will get you anything you want,” he promised. “You’re not alone anymore, Prompto.”

Prompto swung his arm in the air, looking bashful.

“D´aaw, man, come on, you’re making me blush,” he said, acting all embarrassed, but then his face fell and he sniffed a bit, wiping quickly his eyes. He got a quick, comforting peck on his cheek from Noctis. 

“Here’s your first present,” Noctis said and brought his hand slowly in front of Prompto. It was a big wrapped gift and Prompto looked at it, delighted.

“I totally saw this peeking from behind your back,” he noted. Noctis just shrugged.

“Still as scrawny as ever, eh?” he smirked.

“Nope, you’ve grown wider,” Prompto noted nonchalantly while opening the package. He pulled out a fat chocobo plushie, screaming with a happy tone.

“Fat Chocobo! I love it!” Prompto rejoiced, lifting the plushie up in the air with both of his hands.

“I thought Pickle-Tickle would want to have a friend,” Noctis offered a reason for the toy.

“Pickle-Tickle will be happy.” Prompto kept nodding his head eagerly.

“And here’s another one.” Noctis pushed another, smaller present under Prompto’s nose. 

“Aaw, this is too much,” Prompto tried to argue back but failed miserably, as his eyes shone too brightly for someone who wouldn’t want to be gifted with many presents. Noctis was smiling a pleased smile at Prompto’s happy looking expression. From the second, neatly-wrapped package came a leather wrist band with a silver plate and studs.

“Oh man, Noct, this is awesome!” Prompto gasped, admiring the expensive looking jewelry with an open mouth.

“It’s organic Anak leather.” Noctis shifted closer to Prompto. His finger was pointing at the plate. “The silver plate is clean but if you want, you can carve something on it. The studs are silver, too, mined from Quippe Rarus.”

“Quippe Rarus’s silver is expensive as hell!” Prompto’s head turned hastily to Noctis with his frantic hiss. 

“Only the best for my best friend.”

“Wait, this is Saturo Design, too!” Prompto’s voice just kept raising higher and becoming louder. “This is like… Oh god, Noct, this is worth some serious gil!”

“Like I said, only the best for my best friend,” Noctis said once more. “Sorry, I actually wanted to buy you a camera but I don’t know anything about them. I’ll get that for you later.”

“No, no, Noct, this is more than enough, by the Astrals!” Prompto shook his head furiously, squeezing the jewelry against his chest. “I’ve never owned anything this expensive. What if I lose it?”

“Then I’ll get you a new one.” Noctis smirked, taking the jewelry from Prompto’s hold and wrapping it gently around Prompto’s wrist. “You gave me a wristband so I thought it’d be fair to give you one in return.”

“But my wristband is worth like, one potion bottle,” Prompto replied, watching how Noctis closed the wristband’s lock swiftly. “Please don’t think that I think you’re worth one potion to me.”

“I’d never do that.” Noctis chuckled at Prompto, his eyes rising from his wrist up to Prompto’s face. “I’ve got one more thing for you.”

“Wait, more? Oh, Noct, you’re seriously overdoing it…”

“Well, you have missed two birthdays and such,” Noctis defended himself with a grin. He pulled something out from his pants pocket. It was a black collar with a cold red stone.

“The magick department got it ready.” Noctis was grinning happily, showing the collar to Prompto. “This should nullify my Holy, but the magick departments wants you to try it out first to see if it fits you and you can wear it without symptoms.”

Prompto stared at the collar, boggled, but accepted it nevertheless.

“To be honest, I wasn’t expecting another collar,” he mumbled while fitting the soft, black collar around his neck. “Can’t those guys manufacture anything else?”

Noctis laughed at Prompto’s somewhat displeased pondering.

“They said they want to protect both your heart and head. It’s got Gravija in it, so it’s very powerful. The department knows about your origins and your genes, so they assumed some dark spell would be alright for you to wear. Some mere mortal might not be able to handle Gravija but you should be able to.”

Prompto bit his lips thoughtfully.

“Will it not just increase my natural darkness and make me darken?” he asked weakly, swallowing. 

“I asked Ignis the same thing, but the department said Gravija wouldn’t trigger any darkening,” Noctis said, seemingly not really understanding the whole thing properly himself either. “Anyway, the stone contains Fira and it burns off some of the Holy and Gravija when those three are close to each other; whatever that really means in the magick science way…”

“So, it’s kinda like a mediator between your Holy and my Gravija?” Prompto tried to look at the stone at his neck, but of course he couldn’t see it. It felt oddly cold under his fingers when he sought to touch it instead. 

“I guess.” Noctis shrugged. 

”They finished with this faster than anticipated,” Prompto said, remembering how Iris had said just earlier today how it would take a few days from the magick department to come up with a solution.

“It’s a prototype,” Noctis corrected Prompto, “They still need to consult Luna about it and see how it affects you because you’re the special snowflake,” Noctis lightened the air up with a joke. Prompto snorted at him, hurt, making Noctis just laugh out loud and peck his cheek playfully.

“When did you say Miss Luna comes back?” Prompto asked between his puffed cheeks.

“In a week,” Noctis mumbled against Prompto’s skin, kissing the spot on his cheekbone once more. “Why?”

“Then, we can spend time together and test this collar until she comes back?” Prompto offered, seeking Noctis’s hand into his and entwining their fingers together. 

“I was hoping you’d say that,” Noctis sighed, pleased, his warm breath running from Prompto’s face down to his neck. He lowered his head and placed his lips on Prompto’s stretched neck, just above the collar’s edge. “Please, tell me if this is too much for you. I know this is all very sudden.”

“I’m fine as long as I’m with you.” Prompto sighed, his eyes half-closed. “The only thing I worry about is the marriage’s political effect.”

“…Let’s… not talk about it now…” Noctis pressed his head against Prompto’s collar with a deep groan. 

Prompto could tell from the heaviness of that groan how the future still bothered Noctis. He couldn’t blame him. Humming, Prompto wrapped his arms around Noctis’s shoulders.

“We’ll figure everything out, Noct. It’s just… I think I’m mostly afraid of my role as your partner. What if I fail and cause some horrible scandal?”

“Prompto, love; we’re going to cause a scandal.” Noctis snorted, his face still against Prompto’s shoulder.

“I know, but I meant after that? Like, everything’s fine and cool and we’re married and ruling the lands and such - and then I fail and tabloids start to scream about these horrendous scandals dirtying Caelum Lucis’s name.” Prompto rocked his body from side to side, his head bopping with the movement, as he mocked the possible tabloid headers with a too deep voice, frowning. 

Noctis snorted again.

“I’m sure you’ll do fine. Ignis is a good teacher, you’ve got Gladio and Cor to watch your back, Luna to help you with the Astral stuff and of course, I’ll be there.”

“…You know, we better start to plan our Honeymoon, then. I want to go somewhere pretty.” Prompto lifted his chin up high, looking confident and dreamy at the same time.

Noctis had to left his head up and look Prompto square in the face, his own eyes shimmering as he watched his loved one.

“Anywhere you want, Prom-Pom. But Pickle-Tickle will stay home!” Noctis added before Prompto could say anything.

 

\-------------------------------------

 

A few days passed and Prompto was feeling well with the collar. Everyone was pleased that the collar was working like it was supposed to.

Every day Prompto curiously stared at himself in his bathroom mirror, trying to see any changes in his face from the time skip. Ignis had anticipated that Prompto’s body might catch up the missed years but no matter how much Prompto squinted his eyes, he didn’t see anything unusual going on. Just the same freckles, the same beauty spots and the same face shape. He pondered at times if he looked strange next to Noctis like this, but then he reminded himself that Noctis’s face changes were subtle and he was just seeing them more clearly because of his skip and his photographer’s eyes.

He had strolled here and there with Noctis, avoiding leaving the palace together to not cause any media ruckus. The PR-department was still figuring out how they should deliver the news of Prompto’s return. Prompto had learned from Ignis during one of his schooling lessons that while the PR-team had dispatched Noctis and his entourage on a mock journey for the bride to keep the masses calm, Noctis had settled back into his home a month ago or so, causing another wave of questions from the public. Ignis had looked rather troubled when he had spoken about it all but Prompto hadn’t dared to ask how they had managed to keep the masses happy while Noctis returned back home without his bride and made an only bigger PR-mess with it all. So far, it seemed, from what Prompto had understood, that the palace was rather quiet about Noctis’s Divine Mission. Ignis’s frown on his forehead had grown deeper when he had told Prompto that while everyone was happy that Prompto was back, it was still too dangerous for the public to hear about Prompto’s return and it was also too delicate a matter for Noctis and Prompto to start acting openly as a couple inside the palace. 

Prompto understood Ignis. Everything which was silently going on under the surface made Prompto nervous and the last thing he wanted now was to burst that bubble which the palace had managed to create around Noctis’s mission. It was clear that the atmosphere in the palace was tensed in a way that everyone just waited for Lunafreya to return so the Completion Ceremony could be held quickly. It hadn’t taken long for Prompto to realize that while Noctis had promised they’d wait for the ceremony as long as Prompto needed, it was probably best if they just got it done and threw the ice bucket on the back of the nation about their gay relationship, blessed by Shiva and the King himself.

Prompto wasn’t an idiot; he knew the people in the palace had to assume something, too. Perhaps King Regis had already told everyone what was going on so the palace could be ready for Noctis’s Mission’s outcome, be ready for the impact Prompto would make. Prompto could only guess; he was too timid to talk about the matter with anyone, as he didn’t want to burden Noctis’s heart more. He wanted to be beside Noct and support him, as much as possible. Thus, he often held Noctis tightly in his arms, Noctis’s head resting against his chest, and just listened to how softly Noctis snored in his sleep. He was still often sleepy and took naps in Prompto’s room under his care. Prompto thought it had to be the Holy’s doings – though just plain ol’ stress couldn’t be ruled out either. While caressing Noctis’s dark hair with his palm, Prompto stared at the ceiling and wondered if he could have such peaceful times together with Noctis after the Ceremony. His initial reply to his own thoughts was “no”. It felt unfair.

Each passing day he tried to catch some private time with Noctis, usually at late evening when the palace was quiet. Whatever place they could get in, they’d run in there. Noctis was busy with some “future king things” as he had called them, and Prompto was being educated by Ignis in the way of the royals as much as possible. Once they were walked in on by Cor when they were in the middle of a passionate kissing session with their tongues entwined, but Cor had just casually noted he was happy they were coming along well and closed the door as quietly as he had opened it. After that, Prompto had avoided Cor like the plague for the next three days, a huge blush rising up to his face whenever he even thought about Cor.

Almost two weeks after Prompto’s sudden return, the palace staff's eyes were on Prompto even keener than earlier, which made Prompto feel awkward - not to mention that their eyes seemed to stare into his soul when they walked past him. When he admitted to Noctis that he feared the truth of him was out, Noctis had replied that Prompto was just imagining things; no one knew about his origins inside the palace and they’d prefer to keep it as such until the right time came along. Noctis’s face had darkened a bit when Prompto had murmured the question if anyone would ever accept an MT as the king’s spouse. They had dropped the matter then and concentrated on kisses and soft touches instead – with the door locked this time.   
  



	23. Set It on Stone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Lunafreya returns and Noctis delivers the news to PR-department

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yesterday, August 21st, was Fanfiction Writer Appreciation Day. I'd like you all to remember to give kudos, comments and feedback to your fave fics and authors (and it doesn't matter have you already been screaming 5 times at the comment section how you love their fic). Though even a day late, such actions will be appreciated! Any day of a year is a good day to appreciate your local and non-local writers, but August 21st is kinda like official celebration day for it.
> 
> Thank you Shake-your-mane for proofreading the whole chapter this time, and doing it very quick when the need arose! 
> 
> Next time we'll have the ceremony~

Lunafreya was running late. She hurried with quick steps along the palace’s tall hallways, her shoes’ clicks echoing from the walls. She was greeted by every palace personnel she encountered on her way. On the spot of seeing her fifth palace servant, she actually stopped the maiden by touching her shoulder.

“I’m looking for Noctis,” she said until the servant, who hadn’t noticed her coming, greeted her.

“His Young Highness should be in the library, but I can’t guarantee that, Miss Oracle,” the young maiden replied.

“Thank you. I’ll ask again from the library if he’s not there,” Lunafreya thanked the miss and headed to the nearest elevator.

The library was quiet and the air in the room, which expanded to every direction with tens of shelves, was mellow. Lunafreya searched high and low, and finally located a familiar-looking figure standing in front of one of the shelves.

“Noctis,” she called him quietly, getting Noctis’s attention. He turned to Luna and smiled at her widely.

“Hi, you’re back,” he said softly.

“I’m sorry that it took longer than I anticipated. I just arrived and heard from the guards that I was needed here.” Lunafreya looked at Noctis with an apologetic frown. “You should have called me. I’d have come here earlier.”

“I did and I sent you messages, too,” Noctis replied.

Lunafreya’s eyes widened.

“Really? You did? I haven’t gotten any messages or notifications…” she said, hesitantly.

“Perhaps there was something wrong with the operator,” Noctis muttered, also surprised.

“Anyway, I apologize, and I’m here now. What is it?”

Noctis’s brows knitted together and he stepped closer to Lunafreya, his hand rising to her upper back.

“Let’s go to somewhere more private,” he murmured with a low tone, guiding Lunafreya to turn around in the direction where she had come from.

Lunafreya’s eyes followed Noctis, her head turning to look at him over her shoulder. Yet she said nothing; just allowed Noctis to walk them both out from the library and into one of the closest conference rooms. Noctis closed the door behind them with a soft click, his gaze stoic. Lunafreya didn’t miss it.

“Is everything alright, Noct?” she asked when Noctis offered Lunafreya a seat, holding a chair for her. He chuckled.

“Fine. I’m just tired and a bit worried,” he replied with all honesty, knowing he couldn’t hide things from Luna. He sat down next to Luna at the long conference table. “Oh, sorry, I forgot to ask if you’d want something to eat after your long journey?”

“Food can wait.” Lunafreaya waved her hand in front of her casually. “Let’s talk first.”

“Well, there’s quite a lot for us to talk about, so maybe we should have something to eat after all…” Noctis mumbled, fishing his phone from his pocket. He lifted it quickly up to his ears, waiting for a while, until his call was answered. “Ignis? Please, could you bring something for Luna and me to eat to the Little Peace Room? Luna, what do you want?” he asked, turning his attention to Luna.

“A warm salad would be a wonderful thing.” Luna smiled, a bit bashful of her direct request.

“A warm salad for Luna, please… Nah, you can decide. You know the food things the best. I’ll take a warm sandwich and some coffee. Mineral water, too. Luna, you want something to drink besides coffee and mineral water? No? Okay, we’re good with those. Oh, and please bring something for Prompto, too. I’ll call him later. Yes… Yes… About to tell… No, no. It’s better like this. Uh-huh. Thanks, Iggy.”

Lunafreya leaned against her elbows and took a curious look at Noctis.

“Is Prompto joining us?” she asked with a smirk, her eyes glimmering playfully.

Noctis blinked, realizing he hadn’t yet told Luna about Prompto’s return. He stuttered.

“Ah, well… Yes, later. He came back… A few weeks ago…”

Lunafreya’s body straightened up slowly, her lips apart.

“He did...?” she breathed, surprised, but in Noctis’s eyes she looked rather calm. “That’s wonderful news, Noct!” Her smile, however, was genuine and pure.

“I’m happy,” Noctis nodded, crossing his fingers over the table, leaning against his elbows. He nodded once more with a hum, like underlining his comment.

“The Goddess has been very favorable to you, Noctis. Have you given your thanks to her for Prompto’s return yet?”

Shit. He had completely forgotten that. Noctis swallowed.

“I hoped you could lead the ceremony,” he quickly came up with a lie, not wanting to admit that the Goddess had been the last thing in his head lately.

“Sure. Whenever you like, we can hold a small service.” Luna nodded.

“You… You don’t seem too shocked…” Noctis murmured, taking a timid look at Luna from underneath his eyebrows. “Did someone tell you already?”

“I trusted the Goddess,” Lunafreaya simply stated. “I knew Prompto would be returned, eventually. Sounds like you had a tough time believing in Her promise.”

Noctis cleared his throat at Lunafreya’s joke.

“I guess I did…” he admitted with a tight whisper. “Anyway, you are good now? Not busy or anything, returning back to Ravus soon?”

“I’m free for now, but for family reasons I’ll be in Tenebrae more from now on,” she replied. “Do you worry for the service?”

“No, it’s not that.” Noctis shifted in his chair, uncomfortable. “I have solved the riddle, Luna. I know who the partner is. The Compilation Ceremony can be held.”

Lunafreya’s eyes sparkled immediately, a joyful smile spreading across her face.

“You have found your partner?!” She clasped her hands together in great delight, pulling them right before her smiling lips. “Oh, Noct. It was about time, yes? It’s been so very long.”

“It’s been too long.” Noctis didn’t even hide his sourness from his scoff. “Everyone’s getting restless so my mission is something I want to talk about with you.”

The conference room’s door opened and a cart with food was pushed in by a servant, Ignis following right at his steps. Lunafreya stood hastily up, but Ignis gestured for her to sit down.

“It’s nice to see you, my dear,” he spoke to Luna, bending down to give her a formal greeting with cheek kisses. Lunafreya replied to Ignis with a warm chuckle.

“It’s nice to be here. This place feels like a home to me.” She smiled, her eyes drifting down to the plate which was being placed in front of her.

“I hope warm salmon salad will do.” Ignis pointed at the plate with his open palm.

“Oh, perfectly. Thank you again, Ignis.” Luna said, also thanking the servant, who was leaving the room with the empty cart.

Ignis turned to Noctis, who was setting a white big napkin onto his lap.

“I should remind you that while Prompto’s dish is underneath a dome it won’t stay warm forever. Please see that he gets his dinner.” There was a hint of sadness in Ignis’s voice which Noctis picked up on immediately.

“He isn’t eating again?” Noctis frowned at Ignis, his lips tightly pressed together.

“Some health issues but nothing to worry about.” Ignis sighed but his tone didn’t convince Noctis fully.

“Is it the collar?”

“He’s just taking things very seriously and tries hard. The collar works fine,” Ignis assured.

“He doesn’t need to impress anyone,” Noctis growled, bothered. “Goddammit, Prompto…”

“Now, now. He’s a grown-up man, not a child who needs surveillance. I think he’ll be just fine.” Ignis was soothing Noctis, patting his upper back with both hands a brotherly way, smiling. “I’ll leave you to talk with Lunafreya. Please call Prompto before the food gets cold.”

“I will. Thanks. Lock the door when the go. I don’t want to be disturbed.”

When Ignis was gone, Lunafreya dug into her salad; her face looked troubled.

“Is Prompto alright?” she asked timidly, getting only a grunt from Noctis.

“I hope he is. And speaking of Prompto, I needed to talk about him with you,” Noctis murmured, his gaze fixated on his dish while he cut his fish.

“About Prompto? Ignis was talking about a collar. Is it for your Holy?” Luna was trying to guess what was going on in Noctis’s head.

“Yeah. The magic department gave him a Gravija-Fire collar. It’s been working fine and Prompto’s alright with it but I know the department would appreciate it if you could visit them regarding it,” Noctis informed Lunafreya casually, taking the first bite of his food.

Lunafreya’s fork stopped in the middle of the air.

“I’ll see what I can do to help. It’s not fun if poor Prompto’s in bad health right after getting back. Where was he, anyway? If I may ask, that is.”

Noctis’s eyes narrowed. He licked his lips, straightening his back with a sigh.

“I think it’s for the best if you talk with Prompto about that,” he said with a thin voice, hesitant. “While you talk about the collar.”

“Alright, I will do that. But Prompto’s alright, isn’t he?” Lunafreya’s tone was worried. Noctis tore his eyes from the dish and gave a weak smile at Lunafreya; his face was sort of apologetic despite his tiny smile.

“Yeah. I’m here looking after him after all.”

“That’s good. You two have always come along so well. I’m happy for you,” Lunafreya said and her comment made Noctis almost suffocate on his bite. He coughed, blushing.

“Thanks…” he murmured between his sharp coughs, gesturing at Lunafreya that he was alright despite the coughing fit. He took a long swig from his tall mineral water glass.

“So, before Prompto’s dish gets cold, back to the Divine Mission Final Ceremony, yes? I understood it as you wanted to talk about it before Prompto comes here and we start to discuss the collar?” Lunafreya asked with a bright tone.

Noctis could tell she was curious of what Noctis had to say about it all, about his partner. The earlier blush on his cheeks got slightly redder.

“Yeah, I wanted to talk about it but everything needs to stay just between us.” Noctis leaned towards Luna, whispering under his breath. “Only a few people know about this. There’s nothing public out yet. They’ll hear at the Ceremony.” He kept a small pause, his head falling down. He tapped the surface of the table with the tip of his finger. “I… I think I’ll need your help, Luna. You will back my Divine Mission and what the Goddess has bestowed upon me, won’t you? As The Oracle the people love so much?”

“Of course! That’s my work as The Lucis’s Oracle and as the messenger between the King and The Astrals,” Lunafreya replied firmly, leaning towards Noctis. “You don’t have to question it.”

“Good. Because I think I’ll need all the help I can get when the Ceremony is over.” Noctis tried to laugh but it came out as nothing but a dry croak.

“Ah, the riddle did say the people would not accept the partner. Figures why your face is so troubled, Noct.” Lunafreya stretched her words, swinging the fork around in the air thoughtfully, her lips pursing. Noctis’s face just fell more.

“Trust me, they will hate it all.” Noctis sounded awfully bitter, almost venomous. His eyes narrowed into thin lines. “It’s Prompto, Luna. He’s my partner. Everything in the riddle fits him. That’s why he was taken away from me; taken so that I could see it. I should have known it earlier,” he hissed.

At first Lunafreya was quiet. Too quiet. She stared at Noctis’s extremely stern face but then burst into bright laughter. Her hand reached to touch Noctis’s shoulder.

“Noctis, you have done nothing wrong if you have found your partner; quite the opposite. You have given your best with all this and whatever the Astrals will assign for the future leader of Lucis Caelum’s line, that’s a law. People will get the Astrals will and your partner, eventually,”

Luna’s soothing did only a little for Noctis’s sour mood. He withdrew himself from Luna’s touch and concentrated on his food, stabbing a piece of fish with his fork.

“Eventually doesn’t mean anything.” He gritted his teeth. “They will most likely rise against us. You said yourself that people have started to oppose their leaders even with pettier matters than this. Not to mention that this bloodline dies and we need a new ruler. Either the monarchy ends and we go to democracy after my time here is over, or we get another not-blood-related heir to the throne.”

“Noctis, you are thinking too far in the future,” Luna tried to reason compassionately, “You’re trying to figure out what the Goddess has assigned for you and this bloodline but that’s something we can’t understand. At least not  
now, not from this position where we stand at this very moment. A life time is a long time, Noctis. Don’t get depressed just because a few years ahead look darker than the others from your perspective. It’s the king’s job to walk forward with confidence, no matter how dark the times would be. That’s setting an example for the people and you being the crown heir represents the whole nation and its people. You are everyone,” Lunafreya pep talked to Noctis, peering at his sour face.

Noctis listened to Lunafreya silently. He was quiet for a long, long time.

“…Are you fine with the Divine Partner being Prompto?” he finally asked, almost blurting the delicate matter out.

Luna only laughed heartily at Noctis’s question.

“Of course! If Shiva blesses him and your union with him turns out to be the Divine Mission’s goal, no one should have anything against it.” She nodded multiple times, her eyes never leaving Noctis. Her warm, sisterly gaze calmed Noctis down. His shoulders and hands relaxed.

“…I’m… I’m relieved,” Noctis sighed. “I feared you would oppose it. Dad had nothing against it either. I guess I was scared for nothing more than my own thoughts and visions.”

“Well, I can tell you are being a bit silly.” Lunafreya smiled at him. “An Oracle can’t oppose Astrals’ wishes. That’s why I stepped aside from our prior marriage plan, because it was Astrals’ will,” Lunafreya reminded Noctis warmly.

Noctis could understand that what Lunafreya was saying was the truth and he was being perhaps a bit too overly dramatic with everyone. He pushed it all to the furthest corner of his heart and turned in Lunafreya’s direction with a pleased gaze.

“You are right. I’m sorry. I forgot this isn’t a matter touching only me,” he apologized but Lunafreya shot his words down immediately.

“There’s no need for apologies. I knew what was going to happen.”

“I… I uh… wanted to talk with you about the best date for the Clearance Ceremony,” Noctis returned back at the matter at hand, stabbing absently at his food with his silver fork. He was too nervous to eat.

“We can look at the date later today, if you want. And if Prompto wants it, too. How is he taking everything?” Luna asked between her bites of the salad.  
Noctis’s nose wrinkled.

“He’s very serious about it and does worry for the future the same way as I do. What it comes to our personal relationship, he’s alright with it – just like Shiva’s answer predicted.”

“And you?” Luna’s voice rose up curiously.

Noctis chuckled, trying to keep his cool despite the faint red tint on his cheeks.

“I’m happy,” he simply stated, clearly uncomfortable about talking of his love life with someone.

“Would you want to talk about the Ceremony date alone with me or with Prompto?”

“I think it’s only fair if Prompto’s there, too,” Noctis quickly answered.

Lunafreya agreed with him and thus Prompto was finally called for the meeting. He arrived soon after Noctis’s phone call at the door, looking slightly pale and tired when Noctis opened the door for him. Noctis followed Prompto worriedly when Prompto took a seat next to him, awkwardly greeting Lunafreya.

“You’re alright?” Noctis asked Prompto, staying away from mentioning anything of what Ignis had told him about Prompto’s condition.

Prompto smiled from the corner of his lips.

“Yeah. A bit tired. All those lessons are harder than I anticipated. I really can’t remember what happened in the Oppression Years and going through all the Niflheim related things is…” he didn’t finish his sentence, just gestured his hands in the air with shrugs of his shoulders, trying to get his point across.

“I’m sure you’re doing fine and you don’t need to remember everything. That’s why we have all those special departments with their professionals,” Noctis reminded Prompto, patting his shoulder gently.

“I’m happy to see that you, Prompto, are taking this all very seriously, but don’t overdo it, yes?” Lunafreya leaned over the table in Prompto’s direction, taking him off-guard with her comment.

“Y—You told her?” Prompto half-whined, shocked, and Noctis’s nod made his face flush rapidly. He hit his face from both of them. “Well, yeah… If we’re going to do the Mission Ending Ceremony Thing, Miss. Luna should know about it, right? Besides, she probably guessed it when I mentioned the lessons,” he mumbled.

“There’s no need to be so bashful, Prompto. Everything is fine. Please, be at ease and eat with us. We can talk about anything you want,” Lunafreya spoke softly to soothe Prompto and encouraged Prompto to pick up his dish from underneath the shiny dome.

“So, eh… Ravus got married, eh?” Prompto stammered with his words, somehow nervous, trying to find something to talk about.

“Yes, rather recently. It’s such a happy thing. I’m happy for him and pleased to have such a wonderful sister-in-law.” Lunafreya smiled, completely unaffected by Prompto’s sudden question.

“Luna said she needs to get back to him soon so we should decide the Compilation Ceremony date soon,” Noctis told Prompto, his hand landing on his thigh. Prompto blinked.

“Soon?” he kept stammering. He opened his mouth to say something, but Noctis put in.

“I know I promised we’d take time and go forward with the pace most suitable to you, but it seems I can’t keep that promise. I’m sorry,” Noctis’s lower lip pouted and he looked genuinely sorry.

Prompto shook his head quickly, looking more or less dazed.

“Ah man, it’s okay,” he said firmly. “This is a national thing, so better handle it quick.”

“You can postpone your marriage further than the six months if you want,” Lunafreya noted, looking both at Noctis and Prompto. Her eyes drifted to worried-looking Prompto on their own. “If you wait more than six months, Prompto gets more time to study and get into his role, and the nation gets time to settle down with the sudden news.”

Neither of the men said anything for a while, but looked at each other. Noctis cleared his throat.

“Sounds reasonable. I’ll let Prompto decide that, if possible. It can be that the PR-department or father wants to have the wedding immediately after the six months have passed, but if there are no requirements for it, Prompto is the one who sets the day.”

“But it’s your day, too,” Prompto tried, a bit freaked out that such a big decision was left for him to decide.

“I’m fine with everything as long as I get to be with you,” Noctis said sheepishly, averting his eyes cutely from Prompto.

Prompto blushed once more.

“I promised to Noctis that we’d set down the date for the Completion Ceremony later today. First, we need to have a small service for Shiva, I need to meet the magick department and The King, and then we can see which day is the most favorable for the Ceremony,” Lunafreya spoke to Prompto, ignoring his flushed face.

“That’s fine,” Prompto mumbled, thinking. His eyes cast to Noctis’s face. “You probably won’t need me there?”

“Of course we do,” Noctis gasped, his hand removing from Prompto’s thigh and rising up to his shoulder. “It’s not only about me, you know, or only about this nation. It’s about us.”

“Noctis is right,” Lunafreya noted. “I’d want to have you both at the conversation.”

“Right. I’ll be there if Ignis lets me.” Prompto smiled, happy.

“I’m sure he will.” Lunafreya smiled at Prompto with her eyes closed.

Prompto nodded but his lips stayed tightly pressed together. It made Noctis cock his eyebrow.

“Something on your mind?” he asked, pointing at the food underneath Prompto’s nose to get him to eat.

Prompto looked bothered and troubled, fidgeting in his seat.

“…I uh…” he began, his lower lip quivering. “I just wanted to apologize to Miss Lunafreya for what I am. That’s all,” he whispered, beaten.

“Prompto…” Noctis sighed his name, rubbing his back.

“I have nothing against Shiva’s wish,” Lunafreya stammered, confused by Prompto’s sulky face.

Noctis’s attention turned in Luna’s direction, his brows knitting deeper.

“Prompto’s a Niflheimian MT,” he hissed at Lunafreya, afraid to raise his voice.

Lunafreya’s hands, which hold the utensils, lowered slowly; her lips parting.

“A daemon spouse…” she breathed out, her eyes widening more and more the deeper Noctis’s words sunk in her mind. Prompto, on the other hand, sunk lower and lower in his chair, looking like he was trying to disappear underneath the long table.

“This situation is a lot more sensitive than you perhaps anticipated,” Noctis spoke while licking his lips, his eyes going back and forth to Prompto and back. “Sorry. I should have mentioned it immediately.”

“I’m sorry, I just blurted it out. I thought Noctis had told you everything,” Prompto mewled with the weakest tiny whimper, looking so very small and miserable.

Noctis patted Prompto’s back once more.

“I hadn’t but it’s alright, Prompto. Right, Luna?”

“Absolutely!” Lunafreya breathed out. “Whatever Shiva’s wish is, I as an Oracle will respect it, like I said. I cannot have any individual opinions over the will of Astrals, like you can’t either, Noctis. It’s part of Lucis’s traditions and culture. If Shiva has indeed blessed you with an unimaginable spouse, then that’s how it is. The Astrals know things better than we do,” Lunafreya explained, her face calm and posture content. “Besides, I know you, Prompto. You are the best possible choice to be next to Noctis. I’d ask you to stay at Noctis’s side as his advisor and a friend even if Noctis was meant to marry someone else.”

“Ah, you’re flattering me…” Prompto uttered, his posture rising a bit higher.

“I’m just being honest,” Lunafreya sing-songed, concentrating back on her warm salad dish.

“It means a lot to both of us,” Noctis spoke for himself and Prompto, who agreed with Noctis with a series of quick nods.

”I had a feeling something like this was going on anyway, judging from Noctis’s behavior, health issues and how reluctantly you left for the new trip to gain a spouse. I remember how sour your face looked back then, though you tried to act calm.” Lunafreya basically chuckled at the memory whilst eating. “It’s good that your journey is now over, Noctis,” Lunafreya sighed, pleased. “Would you both be free to discuss the Ceremony date around eight this evening? I assume I’ll have managed to handle everything by then.”

“At eight it is,” Noctis promised.

The same day, right after Noctis got free from Luna’s meeting, he went straight to Ignis and asked him to deliver an audience request for Stella.

\--------------------------------

There were more people at the Ceremony date setting than Prompto had anticipated but Noctis looked indifferent with the head of the PR-department, Lunafreya, King Regis and two other department personnel, most likely from the PR-team, in the room with them. Prompto didn’t know where he should have looked at; this was the moment the information of his position as Noctis’s possible partner was shared with someone other than his closest group and Noctis’s closest ones. He could feel how the unknown high-class faces were staring at him curiously and he couldn’t blame them; it made no sense for him to be here, to be at this meeting. He felt a tight lump in his throat. He hadn’t expected anything but an informal event where he would chat carelessly with Luna. Perhaps something had changed or he just hadn’t understood how these royal things were usually handled. Anyway, it made Prompto feel uneasiness in his stomach.

“So, if everyone’s here now we can start this meeting,” King Regis announced with a firm voice, gesturing everyone to sit down.

Prompto circled around a bit like a lost puppy, finding his seat when Noctis swiftly pointed him the right chair to sit in. He was seated at the edge of the group, rather away from Noctis.

“Thank you for coming here,” King Regis started after everyone had sat down. “Miss Lunafreya has just returned from Tenebrae’s Absum from a family matter but she must soon return there. This meeting has been gathered here so that we can talk more about Noctis’s Divine Mission. As we know, Noctis has been in the palace with his second hiatus for a few months now due to health problems.”

Prompto paled; he hadn’t heard anything of the second hiatus’s cause. He knew Noctis had went for the mock trip and then returned back but nothing else had been discussed of it, and stupid as Prompto felt himself, he hadn’t even asked anything about it. He took a quick look at Noctis, who stared away from Prompto, his head turned to look at Regis.

“Young Highness’s on-off journey has caused mistrust and also worry in people,” one of the PR-department persons said, tapping his fingers together.

“That won’t be an issue anymore.” Regis smiled widely and from the corner of his eye Prompto noticed how Noctis shifted faintly. He would have wanted to reach to Noctis, to touch his hand to support him the same way Noctis had been supporting him these last weeks, but he was too far for that.

“Noctis is ready for the Completion Ceremony,” Regis stated calmly and a surprised gasp was heard from everyone in the room who hadn’t been aware of the news.

“Your Highness, you have found your partner?” the head of the PR-department cast a surprised look at Noctis, who nodded firmly.

“Yes.”

Everyone looked at each other with smiling faces, the atmosphere getting delighted.

“Congratulations, Your Young Highness,” the people Prompto hadn’t seen before said to Noctis, all almost in unison.

“Thank you,” Noctis half-mumbled, embarrassed, but kept his posture straight.

“I’m about to suggest the possible dates for the Ceremony from the Astral calendar. We need to discuss what date fits everyone the best so that PR-Department has enough time to release the official news and also send the invitations,” Lunafreya said before anyone could dig deeper into the matter with Noctis. She was now standing up with a scroll, which she spread on the table. “The closest day is next week’s Thursday but that is way too early, isn’t it?”

“Absolutely. Arrangements will take at least two weeks,” some woman, which Prompto didn’t know by name, replied. “Ideal would be four weeks’ time before the Ceremony.”

“I agree with the four weeks,” Noctis said.

“Next month there will be only one suitable day but it’s too close the Labors’ Holiday, so we need to skip all to way to mid-June.” Lunafreya was following the scroll with her finger.

“Sounds good. It’s not too close to Noctis’s birthday either,” Regis reasoned and the different department personnel agreed with him.

“Would June 20th be good for Noctis?” Luna’s head rose up from the scroll to Noctis.

“I’m fine with it, but I’m not the one making the call,” Noctis replied shortly.

“Ah yes, we talked about it. So, Prompto?” Lunafreya asked, her chin rising higher to look at Prompto, who sat at the edge of the group.

Everyone’s head turned immediately to Prompto and he felt a huge urge to run away screaming from the room. He sucked it up and replied as firmly as he could, despite his burning ears.

“Y-Yes! That day will do, if Noct – I mean The Prince – doesn’t have anything against it,” Prompto hastily corrected himself, not knowing how he should address Noctis in this situation. Was this a formal meeting or an informal meeting? Was he alright to call Noctis as Noctis with these people or was his royal title needed? Was the prince even enough of a title? A cold sweat seeped on Prompto’s forehead.

There was eerie quietness in the air for a moment as everyone’s heads turned to Prompto. The PR-department’s head manager wrinkled his nose, his eyebrows cocking at the same time.

“I don’t mean to sound rude but a mere Insomnian citizen, no matter how close to the Crown Prince, shouldn’t be making the decisions with The Oracle, not even with the permission of the Crown Prince. That’s not how the protocol goes,” he spoke with a nasal voice, making Prompto sweat more. It was clear he wouldn’t have wanted Prompto there in the first place.

Noctis took the comment as a sign to speak. After all, if he was going to be the next king, he better start to act like on. He stood up from his chair, pushing his shoulders back.

“Then I will make the final call; we will hold the Completion Ceremony on June 20th as Prompto has given his blessing to it and the Astrals are then favorable for the Lucis,” he spoke with a firm, mature tone, sounding convincing and manly. Prompto wanted to squeal at his voice; it sounded so nice in his ears. But he also wanted to scream at the head manager’s angry-looking face.

“With all due respect, Your Young Highness but…” the head manager started but Noctis stopped his protest with a wave of his hand.

“This is final.”

Another eerie quietness fell in the room. The woman, who had spoken earlier, broke the odd silence by clearing her throat softly, like trying to see if it was alright for her to speak out loud to the prince.

“May I ask what has made His Young Highness give so much value to your best friend’s opinion in a national and international matter regarding His Young Highness’s future? Should this matter, if there’s someone outside of the palace taken into this meeting, be discussed with The Divine Partner?”

Noctis stood still, looking at one of his advisors with an utterly calm face. His hands crossed behind his back and Prompto thought he saw a faint blush on his face once more.

“We are,” Noctis simply stated. Prompto’s sweating and the urge to run away just grew heavier and the way everyone first pondered what the hell Noctis was saying and then turned to look at Prompto made Prompto feel so very, very small. Yet, he puffed his chest and tried to look convincing and worthy of someone who was going to stand next to Noctis.

“This is absolutely confidential and the information cannot be spread outside these walls,” Regis stepped into the conversation, gesturing for Noctis to sit down. “The young master Mr. Argentum is the one we’ve been looking for to get into the royal family.”

It was like a new dimension would have opened into the room, seeping and oozing in such thick air that one could have cut it with their knife. The head of the PR-department was the first one to speak up, his eyes almost flaming.

“Your Highness, Sire, this is a national and international matter.” His voice was vibrating, strangled. “This must be some misunderstanding!”

“Are you questioning me, your future king, of my decisions?” Noctis snapped, irritated, wanting to protect Prompto.

“Let me remind you that while the crown heir completes the Divine Mission, the Mission is given by a crown heir’s personal Astral; this means the goal of the mission is also set in the stars by them and the crown heir must obey it.” Lunafreya leaned against her arms on the table’s surface, her voice firm and steady.

“But a male partner...! A gay marriage…!” the PR-manager was wheezing, sounding like a squeaky toy taking its final breaths. “This is never heard in Lucis’s history!”

Noctis looked miffed and was already opening his mouth to talk back but Regis’s hand landed on the PR-manager’s shoulder, calming.

“That’s why we need to plan a perfect PR-campaign for the post-Mission time.” Regis smiled warmly. “You can do it, Arthos?”

“…Yes. Absolutely, Your Highness,” the PR-manager named Arthos said, calmed. The woman sitting near him reached to the King’s side.

“How have you planned the crown heir order for the future? The Prince is still young but this matter needs to be discussed before the Completion Ceremony.”

“That matter needs to be discussed in a different meeting, but I called you here because you needed to be aware of this. Can you gather a reliable team to solve this issue with us? All options, which fit the Lucian laws, are welcomed.” Regis’s attention was turned at the woman, who nodded sharply in her fitting jacket.

“I’ll see what I can do. I think Belnaris and Sineno should be on the team.”

“The prior manager Lott should also be informed confidentially. That man is a walking encyclopedia what it comes to the royal bloodline politics,” King Regis suggested, earning an approval from the woman, which Prompto now understood to be related to some bloodline department – whatever it was called; he would learn it soon, anyway, in the Ignis’s home school.

“I will contact Mr. Lott immediately after this meeting.”

“Thank you, Mir.”

A man, who had been silent the whole time, started to laugh loudly, his belly jumping up and down. Prompto looked at him and feared the man’s toupee might fall off with his laughter.

“Now I understand why I was called here.” The man spoke with a booming voice which reminded Prompto of an opera singer. “Mr. Argentum here is a commoner but after the marriage he will get a royal title.”

Prompto almost let the small eep sound slip out from his mouth. He managed to swallow it back into his stomach.

“Precisely. While Mr. Argentum will be referred to either as The Divine Partner or The Queen of Lucis for the etiquette reasons, we can’t keep calling him a Queen for the rest of his life.” There was a playful spark in King Regis’s eyes as he spoke.

“Hmm, the title of Mr. Argentum will be a bit of a tricky one, as it should be equal to the King but Queen is out of question yet a King next to another King will not do either. It can be seen as a threat, as a possibility for a coup d'état from Mr. Argentum’s side. Unfortunately, as sexist as it is, The Queen next to a King is not seen as a big threat as another King next to a King.” The man’s booming voice had a thoughtful tone to it as he crossed his palms over his belly, coughing. “The case would be different if the Queen was a foreigner Princess or a ruler, though.”

“Would The Duke of Insomnia be fitting?” Regis asked, rubbing his beard in as thoughtful manner as the booming voiced man kept huffing from his nostrils, thinking.

“The Duke of Insomnia…” Prompto whispered with a barely audible voice and no one seemed to hear him - except Noctis, who gave him a quick smirk from the side of his mouth.

“From a PR’s point of view, it sounds good, if I may, but we haven’t had the Ceremony yet and thus we don’t know if Mr. Argentum is indeed Shiva’s famous Divine Partner,” Arthos pointed out, squinting.

Noctis’s nose wrinkled all to way up to his nose’s bridge.

“I know it’s Prompto,” he growled. “Everything in the Shiva’s guidance fits him. I’ve never been surer of anything in my life than this.”

“Can Insomnia have a duke? Are there any regulations for that?” the woman named Mir returned back to the title matter, perhaps to avoid pissing Noctis off more.

“I’m sure Ilya will find all the nooks and crooks of a law to help us out, as well as your team with the heir matter, Mir.” Regis sounded confident with his speech.

“The title can be given earliest after the engagement as the crown prince’s partner should have a noble title before the wedding. This would help the palace’s PR boost,” Ilya, the large opera singer-looking man said. “However, my suggestion is that if the title of duke can be given to Mr. Argentum, it would be done after the wedding to compensate the title of queen. After the engagement Mr. Argentum should be treated like a nobility as the crown heir’s partner but not be titled yet.”

“I’ll leave this decision to your and Mir’s departments,” Regis simply said. Everyone agreed with him – even Prompto, but only in his mind, as he was sitting like a duck in his chair, completely frozen solid at this sudden turn of events.

“Everything’s settled then?” Lunafreya asked, casting a look at everyone in the meeting room. “If so, I’ll speak with The Prince more about the Ceremony details. The preparations for it can be begun freely, if we are settled with this?”

As everyone did agree that all which could be covered now was covered, Regis dismissed them back to their works. Prompto’s stomach felt somehow heavy when he exited the room as the last person; too scared and timid to actually follow Noctis right after him, before the higher ups. Noctis was standing next to the meeting room’s door, waiting for Prompto with Lunafreya. Prompto gave a slightly confused look at Noctis, who stared back at him worryingly.

“Are you okay?” he asked and Prompto lifted his chin up.

“Yeah, no sweat. Just didn’t see… uh… that all coming…” he whispered, knowing he couldn’t talk about anything which had just happened outside in the corridor.

“Sorry. Dad insisted everything should be handled at the same time,” Noctis bit his lip, looking somewhat tired and bothered. Lunafreya’s hand was immediately on Noctis’s shoulder.

“It’s good, for both of you two, too. So, let’s go to have the service before we talk more about the big thing,” Lunafreya whispered, starting to guide Noctis towards the church. Prompto was allowed to come, too, which he was happy about. He followed Noctis like a puppy, feeling his heart easing up the closer the church arrived. Lunafreya lead them in, her shoe’s clicks echoing softly against the cold floor until she reached the red church carpet. Noctis stayed behind to keep the door open for Prompto. Then let it slam shut slowly when Prompto was fully inside. Prompto’s eyes admired the church with a faint glimmer in them.

“Feels good to be here,” he breathed, eyes cast up to the ceiling. “It’s like we’d just left from here to your journey and here we are now.”

“Yes, we are.” Noctis grinned, emphasizing the word we and stepped closer to Prompto, snaking his arm around Prompto’s neck. His head turned immediately down to Noctis from the ceiling gazing; Noctis lips pressing softly on Prompto’s mouth. Prompto blushed rapidly, but allowed Noctis to kiss him, replying to him shyly with closing eyelids. He knew Lunafreya had stopped and was watching them with a tender smile. He could feel her gaze on them.

But it didn’t matter. It was Luna. She knew what he was with Noctis. It felt good to kiss Noctis. They hadn’t had a chance to kiss each other properly in a day. It felt too long a time for Prompto and judging from the hotness of Noctis’s mouth, the distance had been too great for him to bear, too. The kiss ended in unison and Noctis gave Prompto a hug, which he returned with a tight grip.

“Things will be a hassle now but let’s enjoy this until the real hassle starts,” Noctis mumbled into Prompto’s neck, earning a pat on the top of his hair.

“Yeah, let’s.” Prompto sighed, pleased, enjoying Noctis’s warmth. Then he broke the hug and took a look at Noctis’s face. “You should probably go to Luna and have the service done before Shiva gets upset.”

“Her? Getting upset that I spend my time with the one she herself has assigned to me?” Noctis smirked rather smugly, not being able to help his short chuckle either. “Fine. You can come closer to the altar if you want.”

“It’s not going to affect the service?”

“I don’t think so, if you just sit and watch.” Noctis smiled with his eyes to Prompto, taking a hold of his hand. They walked hand in hand to Luna, who was waiting near the altar already, smiling.

“Prompto can’t join the service as it’s crown heir’s responsibility but you may sit in the third row and watch,” Lunafreya said before Prompto got to ask from her if Noctis’s earlier promise was valid. He let go of Noctis’s palm and navigated himself to the black wooden bench near the aisle, watching carefully how Lunafreya lit candles on the left side of the altar, while Noctis proceed to light the candles on the right side. He was following everything curiously, realizing this was the first time he was seeing a personal service. He didn’t know why it was held but Prompto suspected it had something to do with Noctis’s personal Astral.

Lunafreya dimmed the light in the church and started the service by calling Noctis in front of the altar, where Noctis performed ritual movements; bowing a few times, replying to Lunafreya’s words sharply with something Prompto couldn’t understand and then kneeling down in front of her in the quiet, serene church. While Lunafreya was singing a hymn softly in an unknown language, Prompto’s gaze drifted to the Shiva’s statue nearby. He remembered what Noctis had told about it – or the previous statue, technically. Prompto had to admit he felt kind of sorry for Shiva and also terrified to know Noctis had swung the head off from a marble statue with one swing. A chill ran through Prompto’s spine.

He had basically caused all that. The darkening and the sacrilege.

Prompto was relieved that Shiva hadn’t forbid Noctis the throne after what he had done.

Lunafreya was ringing divine sounding small bells at the altar and Prompto’s attention turned back to them. His eyes fixated on Noctis’s bent back, his head bowed down into a silent prayer. His upper back looked wide and strong through his black shirt and Prompto simply couldn’t tear his eyes away from him. He admired Noctis’s back in his heart, his mind’s canvas getting painted with the picture of how alluring his back must look now after maturing a few more years. Noctis had always had a beautiful body, if you asked from Prompto, but seeing Noctis slightly changed made Prompto feel a pleasant, hot whirl in his lower stomach and chest. It felt good to watch Noctis like that. Good to admire his upper back and bare arms. His new hairstyle looked gorgeous and while Prompto’s hand rose to his own collar on its own, Prompto couldn’t help himself from thinking how sexy the collar on Noctis looked. He knew he shouldn’t have thought that; the collar hurt Noctis, but he loved its aesthetic against Noctis’s skin, contrasting his black hair beautifully. He yearned to see Noctis with a bare chest with that collar on. Perhaps he’d get a few photos of him, from the most perfect angles, and store them into his secret photo storage which contained the hottest and the most alluring pictures of Noctis he had managed to capture so far.

  
Getting back to his senses when Noctis’s back uncurled, Prompto mentally scolded himself for having lewd thoughts inside a church, for Astrals’ sake.

He blushed up to his ears whilst thinking that if everything went as they were planning, he could soon call Noctis officially his fiancé.

His fiancé.

The crown heir of Lucis.

The classmate he desperately wanted to befriend at the elementary school.

The person who made him go through his change from a wimpy child to a not-so-much-of-a-wimpy teenager – or so Prompto wanted to think.

Noctis, to whom Prompto had vowed to stay by his side until he’d get to the throne as the next king, never leaving his side.

He couldn’t help the thought that maybe Shiva had been arranging everything long before he even had met with Noctis. At least, such a thought warmed Prompto’s heart so much he got moved a bit, sniffling.  
He raised his head, which had sunk lower on its own with his thoughts, back at the altar, where another part of the service was going on with Lunafreya’s lead. Noctis was placing something on the altar in front of him and while Prompto tried to stretch his neck to see what it was, it stayed hidden behind Noctis’s wide back – something Prompto noticed looking at with warmth in his stomach once again. Then Noctis stood up and turned to Prompto with a relieved smile on his face reaching from ear to ear. He reached his arm out, asking silently for Prompto to come to him. Prompto made his way slowly to Noctis, getting scooped under his arm, tightly against his solid side.

“Look at that, Prompto,” Noctis sighed, dreamy, his free hand pointing at the Astrals’ painting on the altar’s wall before them. “On June 20th, we’ll be standing here, side by side, in front of Shiva herself to be blessed and the Astrals will smile down at us.”

“…Whilst being scared senseless,” Prompto added in, humoring Noctis and Lunafreya.

“And then, when we stand here the next time, it will be on our wedding day. Then, we will be officially recognized as a couple.” Noctis spoke with a gentle voice; his hand trailing from Prompto’s shoulder down his arm, all to way to his hand. He took hold of Prompto’s palm with both of his own hands, looking down bashfully. “I… I wanted to ask you… if you’d marry me? When this is all over and we have gotten permission for the marriage from my personal Astral?”

Prompto didn’t really recognize what Noctis had actually asked, not at first, but when it finally sank in, he let out a small shriek, face so red that one could see the blush on his face even in the dim candle light.

“No—Noct…!” Prompto whimpered, shocked, taking a hasty look at Luna, who was still standing higher on the front of altar, smiling happily at Noctis and Prompto.

“Is that a no?” Noctis’s head shot up, worried.

“No, it’s not a no…!” Prompto managed to blabber.

“I wanted to have your consent for the marriage and one witness for the proposal,” Noctis started to explain hastily, being cut off by another shriek from Prompto.

“Pro-pro-proposal?!” Prompto’s voice rang in the church.

“I thought that Lunafreya, who was going to be The Queen, should have the honor of acting as a witness,” Noctis mumbled, his face unsure.

“I’m glad to witness you two,” Lunafreya sighed from the altar, her hands crossed in front of her.

“And I feel bad that things are sort of just happening to you without anyone asking what you want. I know how it is so that’s why I wanted to ask you, Prompto, will you marry me? Be my Divine Partner, officially, for good?” Noctis whispered, his blue eyes drifting up to look at Prompto’s flustered face.

Prompto’s mouth hung open. It turned into a grin, then into a wider smile and finally opened again fully for a laughter; a laughter which sounded like Prompto had a hard time believing what he was asked for. He gulped down.

“O—Of course.” His voice trembled, “Of course, Noct.”

“…Thank the Astrals! For a moment, I feared you’d say no!” Noctis let out a deep exhale, relieved.

“I—I just didn’t expect… a proposal…” Prompto basically whispered the word ‘proposal’ out, still flustered. “…and in front of Miss Lunafreya….” He added, ashamed and shy.

“The royal law states that the proposal needs to have at least a one witness,” Lunafreya said while stepping down to the boys’ level. “I’m honored you thought I’d be suitable for this, Noctis.” She cast a pleased smile at Noctis.

“I couldn’t have asked anyone else,” Noctis answered rather sheepishly, still holding Prompto’s hand. “Please, Luna, keep this as a secret. Just between us three.”

“I promise I will.”

“…Oh… I think my knees are weak…” Prompto looked a bit shaky from his legs. “Is this how it feels to be proposed to by a prince?”

“A real princess you are,” Noctis joked, supporting Prompto from under his arm with a grin.

“A princess getting proposed to by the prince in front of the altar, his personal Astral standing just nearby. Not too bad, eh?” Lunafreya joined Noctis’s joke, pointing out Shiva’s statue near the altar.  
Prompto swallowed. Lunafreya was right. Noctis was proposing to him in front of the Astrals. They all stared at him from the church’s altar painting. This was the holiest place in the whole palace – perhaps in the whole Insomnia.

  
That was…

“…Noctis, I’m happy to marry you!” Prompto barked suddenly, afraid that his whimpering reply hadn’t been serious enough compared to how far Noctis was taking this with his devotion to his role as the future king. Then his face twisted and he hid his eyes behind his bare forearm, sobbing. “…So happy…”

“Should we ask Pickle-Tickle to be our best man, now that the best man’s role is open?” Noctis asked Prompto, kissing his temple for support of Prompto’s happy tears. Prompto snorted, amused.

“He can’t walk,” he reminded Noctis, rather sourly, earning full-blown laughter from Noctis and Lunafreya in unison. It caught Prompto, too, spreading to his lips and down to his chest, where it mixed with the happiness and romantic sensation of being now officially asked to be Noctis’s fiancé. Being asked by Noctis himself; not as the crown heir of Lucis but as Noctis.

It made Prompto so happy he kept crying behind his arm, laughing at the same time, so much he was sure Shiva heard him all to way to the Astrals’ Plane.


	24. Mission Ending

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Noctis and Prompto face Shiva and the nation openly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it finally is - the Divine Mission's ending moment! It took 9 months to get here. Story is a far from over, though, so no need for sad faces. My idea is to finish till end of this year my own writing process, though with proofreaders and their schedules it is possible the fic still keeps updating in the beginning of 2018. 
> 
> Proofreaders; Rynn and Shake-your-mane

In the upcoming weeks after the secret proposal, Prompto had a hard time containing himself and concentrating on the lessons, which now spread to cover Gladio’s and Cor’s teachings as well. Prompto often trained together with Iris, who freely told him anything Prompto wanted to know from the years when he had been in the After Life. Prompto listened curiously to everything Iris told him, from good moments to bad ones, thankful that Noctis had such wonderful friends to look after him. Prompto, however, said nothing of the proposal to anyone, not even to Iris. They had spoken with Noctis about the possible wedding plans a bit, but seeing how nervous it made Prompto, Noctis had simply stated, with a warm laugh, that they should concentrate on the engagement first. Noctis’s assurance made Prompto feel secure. The way Noctis seemed to be absolutely certain that Shiva would bless them warmed Prompto’s heart.

The closer June 20 th arrived, the more antsy Noctis seemed to become. He was always hurrying here and there, much to both of their disappointment. But, the collars allowed them to spend more time together without Prompto’s health dropping, and thus they tried to see each other as often as they could. Noctis had apologized multiple times for how the Divine Mission’s final part was causing so many things for him to handle – and he should handle them, as it was about his future as the king. Prompto hadn’t listened to any of Noctis’s apologies, stating that it was his job and they had the rest of their life together. That had brought a warm blush to Noctis’s face and a hopeful glimmer into his blue eyes. 

Prompto had wanted to, in that moment, trail his lips along Noctis’s neck, but he didn’t. While the kisses which he shared with Noctis were as hot as the realm of Ifrit and traveled down to Prompto’s groin with such a force he couldn’t help himself from getting hard, he hadn’t wanted to make any advances on Noctis – and neither Noctis seemed to want to make any advances on Prompto’s boner pressing against Noctis’s pelvis, his own want as hard as Prompto’s. There was a silent agreement, a silent contract, which somehow bound them from not going further from hot make-outs. At times, it made Prompto ponder if there was something wrong with him – maybe Noctis really didn’t want him – but he reminded himself each and every time that Noctis hadn’t been into guys. This was all new to Noctis and, quite frankly, Prompto himself couldn’t brag of any prior sexual encounters with anyone either. 

In this moment, when Noctis’s mouth was once more demanding and hot against his, his tongue sending shivers down between Prompto’s thighs as his back was gently pressed against his bedroom wall, Prompto couldn’t help himself from thinking that maybe – maybe – the wedding night would make a difference. Maybe he could touch Noctis more. Maybe he’d let him suck him or jerk him off. He wanted to see Noctis come. In his fantasies, Prompto saw Noctis’s moment of release after merciless teasing as nothing but a sight from the Gods. He mewled, breaking the kiss.

“Noct…” Prompto’s breath was hot and steamy. “You… you are unfair.”

“I’m unfair?” Noctis panted back. 

“I… I’d to strip you naked here and now…” Prompto circled the matter carefully, hoping it wouldn’t freak Noctis out. “But you always disappear before I can.” 

Noctis blinked, boggled. His lips pressed tightly together.

“I’m sorry, love,” he murmured with a frown. “It’s not safe yet. Not yet. I… I must think about the kingdom… About my bloodline’s reputation,” he stammered, ashamed.

It was Prompto’s turn to blink, boggled. A faint cry left his mouth.

“I’m sorry! I… I didn’t think about that! I was just…” he gagged, shocked.

How it hadn’t crossed his mind that Noctis wasn’t free to fool around with him, not even behind the locked doors? The word travelled too fast inside the palace…

“The protocols are tight and there’s already some tension in the air in the palace at the PR-deparment with this sudden news.” Noctis’s head pressed lower; saddened. “It’s better if we just kiss until the pathway is more open – just in case.”

“Until the wedding?” Prompto asked, looking curiously at Noctis’s face.

Noctis smiled slightly.

“Until we’ve gotten the Astral’s blessing. Then we can be openly together,” Noctis promised with a nod. His hands around Prompto’s neck shifted to grip tighter. “After the engagement, we can be even freer, because then things will be officially official.” He smirked victoriously. 

“Let’s be officially official as soon as we can then!” Prompto breathed out, his eyes widening. “…If it’s okay with you. I mean… you and guys and such… Not usually your thing, right?”

“Well, hmmm, you are pretty unusual so I guess there’s nothing for you to worry about.” Noctis’s voice trailed off with a velvety darkness, his head coming closer to Prompto’s face. Prompto chuckled deep in his throat.

“I know; I’m quite a catch,” he said casually, kissing Noctis long and warmly. 

“I know that if there weren’t these royal things hindering us, you’d pretty much have taken me already. I’ve noticed how you watch at me and how eager you are in my arms.” Noctis let out a humorous grin. his hips pressing tighter against Prompto, who gulped down at the sensation of Noctis pressing hard against his groin. Very hard.

“---Come on, you’re super unfair today,” Prompto groaned, his face flaming. 

“Then we’re even.” Noctis smirked, his hands traveling down Prompto’s body slowly, all the way down to his waist, pulling Prompto’s whole body closer and into a kiss. 

“…Unfair!” Prompto protested once more into Noctis’s lips, earning a chuckle from Noctis, which turned into a throaty hum, Noctis’s fingers digging into Prompto’s waist tighter. Prompto groaned, muffled, at the touch, his hips jerking.

If Noctis didn’t let him go to cool down soon, he’d definitely throw Noctis on the opposite wall and devour him there.

He had yearned for Noctis for so many years. Too many years.

When Noctis’s lips finally left Prompto, stepping aside from the sweet tormenting, Prompto took a look at Noctis, pondering if he had built this temptation within him in the years when he himself had been gone in the darkness. Prompto licked his lips.

“You are definitely different than when we met the last time,” Prompto laughed, relaxed, hoping that Noctis understood he was complimenting him.

Noctis’s eyes squinted, glimmering.

“I was about to say the same.” He grinned from ear to ear. “Your face is starting to look different.”

“What? It is?” Prompto gasped, letting go of Noctis’s body as his hands rose quickly to touch his own face, inspecting if there was indeed something different there.

Noctis’s fingers caressed Prompto’s bangs away from his eyes.

“Your cheekbones and nose.” He sighed, dreamy. “They are a slightly different.”

“You… You think it’s my body catching up with the lost time?” Prompto mumbled, not really feeling anything unusual underneath his palms on his face.

“Most likely. It’s good if it’s happening so softly. I was worried you’d become horribly sick or something, especially when you need to wear the collar,” Noctis said.

Prompto shifted in between Noctis and the wall. Somehow the heat had turned into a serious conversation.

“I’m good. Good and healthy,” Prompto said, unable to believe that he hadn’t noticed anything different in his own reflection before. He blamed the anxiety and worry for Noctis’s future and the stress for the upcoming ceremony for that. 

“Oh, I can tell you are definitely healthy.” Noctis’s eyes flashed with his impish smile; hips pressing against Prompto’s. 

Prompto’s nose wrinkled immediately.

“I was just cooling down and now you… You unfair lousy prince.” Prompto muttered out a half-hearted curse, all to Noctis’s amusement. He placed a kiss on Prompto’s pouty lips and wrinkled nose.

“Hey, I’m hot and bothered, too,” Noctis defended himself with a grin, which lingered on his lips. “So, we’re even? And good with this?”

“…I’m never good with just the teasing.” Prompto’s lips got pouty, amusing Noctis more. 

“We’ve got time,” he sighed, pulling Prompto in a tender hug. “Just a little longer and then this annoying time is over. Then we can enjoy each other completely without anything to hide.”

Prompto’s ears blushed at Noctis’s choice of words; how he spoke those sweet things into his ear with such an alluring, masculine voice - Prompto wanted to let out a frustrated groan, but he didn’t. Instead, he nuzzled his head closer to Noctis.

“Soon,” he agreed with a nod, his eyes closing.

“Are you alright with Ignis’s studies?” Noctis changed the subject, still holding Prompto. “I haven’t had time to ask anything about it… Is Cor treating you well with Gladio?”

“Everything’s fine. Lots of things to remember and long school days but I can manage,” Prompto replied. He didn’t mention how he had been worried about Noctis lately; Noctis fell asleep almost immediately when they got to spend time together, though they still slept in the different rooms for the protocol reasons. Noctis had been dozing off, nodding here and there for a few weeks now. 

“How---How you are, Noct?” Prompto asked timidly, his prior thoughts still whirling in his head.

Noctis yawned, like being commanded to do so.

“Tired as hell! There’s so much to do, so much to supervise because the day, THE DAY, is soon to be here. Dad tries to help but can’t much as the mission is about me,” Noctis mumbled. “And the atmosphere I mentioned…” his voice trailed off and Prompto got a feeling Noctis didn’t want to talk about it. He patted Noctis’s back.

“Then you should go to bed. It’s midnight in a few hours.” Prompto sighed. 

Noctis protested with a loud, frustrated moan.

“I want to stay with you. We haven’t shared the bed since the day you came back. I miss your warmth.”

“Trust me; I’d sleep next to you and with you any day instead of being alone,” Prompto declared, humoring Noctis. He lifted his head up from Prompto’s shoulder, looking at Prompto directly in the eyes.

“I love to hear that,” he said with a dreamy tone, kissing Prompto once more. 

 

\-----------------------------

 

A month before June 20th, an official announcement to the public of the Prince’s Compilation Ceremony was sent out; all to Noctis’s and Prompto’s distress. Noctis acted as cool as possible, but everyone could see from his eyes that he was nervous. Prompto’s anxiety levels rose higher the closer the fated date came. By the time Lunafreya returned once more to the palace to lead the ceremony the next week, Prompto’s stomach was completely upset, and he was on a medication and special diet to keep things working like they should. Noctis was basically dismissed from any arrangements whatsoever and forced to sleep and rest in his bedroom. Iris kept running back and forth between Noctis’s and Prompto’s rooms, carrying small love notes from a bed to another, enjoying watching how both Prompto’s and Noctis’s eyes shined whenever a small, silly love note arrived. Iris didn’t want to ask why they didn’t use their phones; after all, small notes were much more personal and romantic if you asked her.

Pickle-Tickle kept Prompto company during nights, and the Fat Chocobo had moved as a tenant to Noctis’s room – on Prompto’s demand so that Noctis wouldn’t need to be alone – and Noctis seemed happy to have it at his bedside. It lolled its fat, round body next to Noctis’s pillow, occasionally finding a nest in the nook of Noctis’s arm and against his side. When Prompto’s stomach had eased up, he made small visitations to Noctis’s room with Pickle-Tickle, too, but kept the meetings brief only. 

And then, it arrived.

The end of Noctis’s long lasted Divine Mission. The day he had been waiting for. Waiting for for so long. It felt like an eternity had passed since Noctis had been given the Divine Mission to find his Divine Partner, his fated spouse, to rule the Lucis’ with him. 

And now, today, when the palace’s front yard was squirming with people invited to the ceremony and the sky was not welcoming any of them, but poured cold rain down on their necks mercilessly, Noctis was going to meet the hardest part of his mission: letting people know about Prompto.

Noctis wasn’t worried about himself when he paced back and forth in his bedroom. Wearing his special, black ceremonial uniform. He was the most scared for Prompto. They had been separated from each other a day before yesterday and Noctis knew he’d see Prompto at the ceremony. It was the custom that the heir would spend a day alone before the Completion Ceremony. Then, they would be figuratively taken back into the family after the ceremony made a successful completion; welcomed back into the family as the rightful heir of the throne. In the real world, this simply meant that the heir had to spend just one day alone till the ceremony came to an end – exception being the heir’s closest assistant helping them with the ceremony preparation, which in this case meant Ignis – and then a good feast with food and some presents. Political presents would be sent only after the Mission’s result was announced and Noctis wasn’t that interested in them. They always send odd things as political presents; statues, paintings, birds for their garden, animals, alcohol, strange foods he definitely wasn’t going to eat and so on. Yet, he understood it was part of the deal of being a royal.

The door opened and Ignis stepped in, dressed neatly in a matching ceremonial uniform. 

“Young Highness,” Ignis called to Noctis. “Less than 40 minutes to go.”

Noctis swallowed, but kept his face straight.

“You’ve got the Greatcoat delivered to Luna?”

“Yes. Your mortal enemy is waiting for you in Lunafreya’s possession,” Ignis noted with a slight ring of humor to his voice.   

“…And Prompto?” Noctis asked unsurely.

“A bit nervous, like always, but I think you’ll both manage. Gladio is keeping an eye on him and Iris will be with him during the ceremony,” Ignis began and walked closer to Noctis to adjust his collar better. 

Noctis’s lips had pressed together into tight lines. He stared at invisible spot in front of him, frowning.

“I’m worried for Prompto. He doesn’t deserve to be in the middle of this… everything. I will, as much as possible, take the responsibility of this.”

Ignis laughed shortly at Noctis, giving him a tender look.

“You make this sound like something would be wrong, Noct. Nothing’s wrong. This is the will of the Astrals. We’re dealing with powers greater than ours. Our guests are mere lunatics if they don’t understand that the outcome of this Divine Mission is in Astrals’ hands.”

“Sorry. Just… knowing what Prompto has gone through, I…” Noctis replied, unable to finish his words. 

“I understand. We all feel you and we will also do our best to protect Prompto. To protect you both,” Ignis assured Noctis with a pat to his shoulder.  “Are you alright, Noct? You haven’t eaten much of the celebration breakfast.”

“I’m fine. Just a bit shaky,” Noctis said and showed Ignis his hands, which were trembling slightly. “I’ll eat later. Sorry I skipped your perfect breakfast…”

“Nervousness is understandable, in this case,” Ignis offered, but Noctis knew from the way Ignis looked at him that he was expecting Noctis to explain his shakiness a bit more. 

Noctis cleared his throat. “Ignis… Today, the bloodline which has been running strongly for thousands of years, I will end it just like that,” Noctis muttered; his fists balling.

“Correction; Shiva will end it just like that,” Ignis reminded.

Noctis stared at Ignis for a long moment, quiet. 

“...Right,” he said, somewhat hesitantly. “Shiva will end this family line. For some reason. Has father done something wrong? Am I an unworthy son and won’t thus be allowed to continue Lucis Caelum’s bloodline with a new heir? I haven’t been able to stop thinking about these things…” Noctis pursed his lips, his eyes dark.

“We might never know the reason for it,” Ignis said with a sad tone. “It might not be anything personal, Noct. Perhaps it has something to do with the whole line of Lucis Caelum. However, we will all have your back – Prompto’s, too - so don’t worry. This is not your burden alone,” Ignis reminded Noctis. “Besides, if it eases your mind, think about all the faces of those oh-so-mighty snobs when they see the precious Divine Partner is a man and the King has nothing against it. I’m pretty sure Marchioness Pavo will fly backwards in her chair at the ceremony,” Ignis said with a completely composed tone, the corner of his mouth slightly curving up to a smirk.

“Will serve her right.” Noctis wrinkled his nose and Ignis had to agree with him. No one really liked Marchioness Pavo in the slightest. She was always cranky and dramatic and had utterly horrible taste in hats. 

Ignis gave a long look at Noctis, inspecting him from head to toe.

“Noct, this is a happy day. It would do good for you to smile a little,” he said with a compassionate voice, his eyes sincere.

Noctis felt slightly embarrassed, but a bashful smile rose to his face, despite it. 

“…Yeah. You’re right,” he replied, understanding that Ignis was asking him to relax and forget the future; now was now and Noctis had a ceremony to attend to. Anything after that would be handled later. Just like King Regis had also said. 

Ignis turned to the door and gave Noctis a final soft smile.

“Noct… I don’t think we say this often - and I mean not only me but Gladio and Iris, too - but we love you, Noct. We will always have your back, whether you become a king or not, or whether the kingdom accepts you or not.”

Noctis hadn’t expected such a pep-talk. It made his heart spill over with something warm. He smiled at Ignis with calmness in his half-closed eyes.

“Thanks. That means me a lot.”

Ignis’s soft smile turned into an impish one.

“And I know someone else who you mean a lot to,” he smirked, turning to leave from the room. “We’ll see very soon, Noct. Keep your head up high and don’t worry about Prompto. I’ll go check on him and Gladio.”

“Thank you,” Noctis managed to say before Ignis had disappeared, leaving Noctis alone with his shaky fingers and weak legs for the last tens of minutes. 

The church bell rang hollowly as a sign for everyone in Lucis that the heir had arrived back from their mission and was now ready to present their success for their personal Astral. Noctis could feel how everyone’s stares drilled through his back when he stood in front of the altar, and how his own skin was getting sweatier. He was painfully aware of Prompto’s presence – this time he wasn’t taking photos, but was seated in the back row with Iris. Noctis hoped neither he nor Prompto would pass out during this ceremony from anxiety. While Noctis’s fingers hadn’t stopped shaking, he was more worried for Prompto – and his stomach – than himself.

Lunafreya started the ceremony in her beautiful Oracle dress, which had been decorated with golden details to celebrate this very important day. She went through with the formal greetings, decorated the Shiva statue erected for Noctis’s success with the help of Noctis, lead the whole audience and Noctis into a short hymn for the Astrals and then called Shiva to step forward to hear how Noctis had done with the task she had bestowed on him.

When Noctis sensed Shiva’s presence filling the church, his fingers started to tremble more visibly. He kept his posture, as well as possible, not to shame himself or his royal bloodline more than he was about to. It was hard not to squeeze sweaty palms and trembling fingers into fight fists. He was happy no one but Lunafreya could properly see his face now; he was sure he was pale as a ghost.

“Shiva, the divine guardian of Lucis’s heir and the personal Astral of The Royal Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum, is blessing everyone with Her grace,” Lunafreya spoke with a clear voice to the audience. Then her head turned slowly down to Noctis. “Noctis Lucis Caelum, The Rightful Heir of Lucis’s Throne; The Astrals have called you to fulfill your destiny as the next King of Lucis and to have their divine blessing. Are you ready to present your resolution to your Personal Astral and end your Divine Mission?”

“Yes, I am,” Noctis replied firmly, like he was supposed to. 

Lunafreya nodded slightly, readying herself to hear the message and Shiva’s answer to it.

All Noctis’s fears and the bottomless nervousness had dropped down to his knees, but despite it all, Noctis turned around, his head held up high and reached his hand toward the empty aisle. His chin cocked upwards, his eyes determined-

“Hear me, Shiva, the The Goddess of Ice and Clarity, One of the Unearthly Mothers to us all and The Sister of Mine; I have found the assigned partner of mine, my future Queen to be,” Noctis called loudly, all according to formalities, and he was proud when his voice didn’t shatter as much as he had feared. 

The guests stared curiously at Noctis’s outstretched arm, until their heads turned, one by one, to look behind them; their eyes concentrating on the two people at the end of the church aisle. Prompto, dressed in his black ceremony uniform, with Iris in her matching black celebration dress, walked with linked hands towards the altar; their pace slow and graceful. The audience started to mumble and whisper quietly, smiles appearing on their faces, but Noctis knew they weren’t smiling at Prompto. It was obvious from the guests’ perspective that of course the Queen wouldn’t be anyone else but the young Iris Amicitia - worthy enough of the role of Noctis’s Divine Partner. A chill ran along the back of Noctis’s neck, and in secrecy, he gulped down uneasy dryness from his throat. He could tell Prompto was as uneasy and nervous as he was. Noctis was happy Iris had decided to walk with Prompto down to the altar.

Iris and Prompto reached the end of the aisle, stopping close by the altar, where Noctis still stood with his hand stretched out for his partner. Prompto shifted his eyes quickly back and forth between Iris and Noctis, his brows twisted into a worried expression, but Iris nodded at him with a small smile. Noctis hoped Prompto would see only a strong resolve of “everything is going to be fine, I’ll make sure of it” reflecting from his eyes when their eyes met.

Prompto detached himself from Iris’s hold slowly, taking a step toward Noctis, and Noctis could hear how the whole church fall into eerie silence. When Prompto’s hand reached to Noctis to reply to his outstretched gesture, connecting with his palm, and Noctis pulled Prompto  - not Iris - up onto the altar next to him, the audience gasped wildly. Prompto’s face was utterly ashamed, his cheeks fiery red, and Noctis couldn’t help his own blush either. Yet, despite the heat on his face and the shocked audience’s audible muttering, whispering and gasping, Noctis turned to face Lunafreya with Prompto, his hand never leaving Prompto’s shaking palm.

“Here by, I represent my Fated Partner, Prompto Argentum, as a resolve to Astrals’ Divine Mission,” Noctis said with a loud voice, with as determined of a tone as he could  summon straight from his chest, where his heart stammered rapidly. He gave a small squeeze to Prompto, who stood next to him with his head slightly bowed down, unable to look up at Lunefreya. 

Lunafreya nodded at the couple and closed her eyes, waiting for Shiva to speak. The Astral spoke with an unearthly, loving tone; her voice overpowering the shocked mutterings. Noctis thought he would pass out from all the stress and anxiety; this is it, his mission’s end. Either he was right with his friends and Prompto was the right one, or he was wrong and not only had he now lost the crown but also humiliated both Prompto and his bloodline in the process. He squeezed Prompto’s sweaty hand harder while waiting for Shiva to finish her words. It felt like Shiva had spoken an eternity.

“Shiva, your personal Astral and the Divine Mission’s Judge, has accepted your mission’s resolve. Congratulations, Noctis Lucis Caelum. You have cleared the Mission which Shiva has placed on your shoulder and thus, you are hereby recognized by Shiva and the rest of the Astrals as the rightful crown heir to the Lucis’s throne. Shiva blesses this resolve as the right one; this union and this partner will lead Lucis to a new future which the Astrals have given upon Lucis.” Lunafreaya spoke with a bright tone, making everyone in the audience boggled with what they had just witnessed.

Noctis could feel his legs almost giving in when the stress left his body.

He had made it. He had found The One. 

And it was Prompto. His best friend. His beloved Prompto.

With slightly moist eyes Noctis turned to look at Prompto, who looked back at him with freely flowing tears and sniffed, an eased smile appearing on his thin lips slightly and weakly. Noctis dared to smile back at him, closing the space between them and pulled Prompto into a short hug.

“We did it,” he managed to whisper to Prompto during the hug, earning a small, happy hum in return from him.

The audience, however, wasn’t as joyful as Noctis and Prompto were. They were gasping and talking loudly, a lot louder now, taken aback by Shiva’s words. Noctis knew that there were people in their guest list who wouldn’t take this news in a good way, but he also knew he had supporters, like his father and Cor, who both stood up in unison and clasped their hands together, encouraging and guiding the rest of the audience to follow. Slowly, one by one, everyone in the church stood up to show their respect and to congratulate Noctis, their cheering rising louder when Lunafreya wrapped the Greatcoat on Noctis’s shoulders as a sign that the crown heir had been welcomed back into the family after their mission. To Prompto, Lunafreya offered a short, silent gesture of Shiva’s prayer, but no more formalities were given to him. After all, there were no guidelines on how a situation like this should have been handled.

Lunafreya gestured gently to both Prompto and Noctis to turn to the audience, which they did a bit bashfully, though Noctis pushed his shoulders back and hold his head up high, just like Gladio had advised him on the first day of his mission. They walked down from the aisle to bid their offerings – a short prayer – to Shiva’s statue, which was decorated with flowers and beautiful jewels. A new statue had been ordered to replace the prior Shiva which had lost its head in Noctis’s hands. Noctis still felt guilty about it all when he reached to kiss both cheeks of the statue, just like the protocol required him to do. Prompto followed Noctis, pecking Shiva’s statue a bit awkwardly after him. This whole time the audience stood and when Noctis and Prompto joined the crook of their hands together and headed to walk out from the church, a sea of applauds surrounded. In Noctis’s ears, they sounded rather hollow, as he knew what kind of a storm was rising just in the horizon. He linked their arms tighter, protectively, when he noticed Prompto walking with his face and eyes cast down, a small smile and horrible blush on his freckled face. 

Noctis didn’t dare to look at anyone in the audience directly, but he was sure he saw Marchioness Pavo being held up by her family members, while the Marchioness herself was dramatically waving her feathered fan in front of her sweating face. 

Served her right.

 

\-------------------------

 

“This is outrageous!”

Noctis had been ready to hear those words but when they echoed in the royal meeting room, they cut deeply into his heart. Before Noctis could answer angrily, King Regis lifted his palm up calmingly, closing his eyes.

“This is the will of the Astrals and specifically the Prince’s personal Astral’s decision,” he reminded Insomnia’s governor, Amarus, who stood boisterously in front of the table, his hands slammed down.

“Whether it’s the Astrals or not, we simply cannot accept such an outcome! The crowned prince marrying a commoner and a man from all other possible partner options!” Amarus kept roaring with his face red,  his lips shaking. “This is unheard of in Lucis’ history! Nothing good will come of this!”

“I understand you are as surprised as we all are, but both Lucis and Caelum’s bloodline have always followed the will of Astrals. I don’t think I have to remind you how important it is to follow their guidance, dear Amarus,” Regis reminded him with a calm tone. 

Amarus’s face fell into an even deeper shade of red. 

“Your Majesty, I’m aware of that but following Astrals completely blind can’t be the way to rule lands in these modern times,” he huffed and puffed. 

Noctis pressed his lips together but said nothing. He quietly cast his eyes on his father, who was clearly doing his best not to lose control over himself. This mental wrestling with the governor had continued from the very first minute the leaders of Insomnia had been called to talk about politics and to form plans for Noctis’s future accession to the throne. In such a rare case as Noctis’s, the meeting had been arranged immediately the next week after the Divine Mission had been declared cleared. Right now, all of Lucis was celebrating – more or less – but the air in the conference room was far from relaxed and jovial.

“We must follow the traditions,” Regis said once again, but it only fueled Amarus’s flames.

“And the traditions state very clearly that the crown heir is supposed to have an offspring so that the line of kings can continue. Are you really willing to sacrifice the whole Lucis Caelum’s bloodline for this ridiculous mission from Astrals?” he asked with a clenched jaw.

Noctis’s eyes drifted to Amarus. He had anticipated that the governor might be a tough bone to chew, but his opposition against Shiva’s decision ran deeper than he had thought. 

King Regis was quiet for a while, humming with closed eyes. A few other people in the room turned to look at Regis, their eyes a bit worried.

“Your Highness, I must say I agree with Governor Amarus’s statement,” the duke of Quartus region, Sir Tertius, mumbled while tapping his fingers together. “It’s indeed politically very risky for everyone, now when the Lucis Caelum’s bloodline is weakened without a possibility for a blood heir. It affects Insomnia’s outer regions the most, especially the ones close to the Niflheim border.”

“The people on those areas are already acting restless, fearing that the kingdom and the king are abandoning them to favor the Prince,” the interior minister, Paries, said with a frown. 

Noctis didn’t like how the interior minister worded his statement, but he understood where Paries was coming from with that worry. King Regis seemed to agree silently with Noctis.

“That’s one matter I’ve meant to discuss with the Interior Board as soon as possible. We have to somehow assure all the Lucians that while this outcome is something very unexpected, that Lucis and Insomnia will not falter.” Regis lifted his chin up high and stared at all three disagreeing men without wavering.

“People near Niflheim boarders live far away from the capitol and thus from the center of the country’s political decision-makers. Throughout history, citizens along the further borders of Lucis’s kingdom have always felt that the kingdom is selling them or planning their abandonment in one way or another, no matter what measurements the kingdom has taken to soothe their minds,” the grand judge Niger said, adjusting her glasses on her prominent nose. “When the time passes and nothing happens, they will forget that the crown heir Noctis is even married to a man. The same way they will also accept whoever will follow the Prince on the throne, decades and decades in the future from here.”

“Having a commoner as the crowned prince’s partner might actually give the people living in outer regions and country sides a feeling that the House has descendents closer to normal people’s daily lives,” Cor agreed with the grand judge Niger.

“Precisely, Marshall,” she replied, nodding towards Cor.

“Niflheim is still a very dangerous threat to us and will get only more dangerous by this,” Amarus kept insisting and Regis agreed with him.

“We’re all aware of that. We need to strengthen our ties to Niflheim’s emperor in one way or another to avoid any conflict. It might be possible to earn this favor with the help of Stella Nox Fleuret,” Regis stated.

Duke Tertius’s eyes widened.

“The Iron Fist Princess of Nilfheim?!” he gasped.

“I highly doubt the Princess will help us,” Amarus preached loudly. 

Noctis wondered if he should say something about the matter; after all, they were discussing the results of his actions and Divine Mission. Yet, he really didn’t know what words would have made the situation any better. He feared that if he let everyone know that he had went to Niflheim, the leaders, who were already against of him, would turn their backs on him even more.

“We’ll see about that, but it’s worth trying to appeal the Princess, who will follow the Emperor on the throne, like Noctis follows me. Perhaps the next generation will rule with a different touch,” Regis simply said without going into any details. His suggestion didn’t earn much support from the opposing forces. Noctis felt even more uncomfortable. 

“The Prince himself has been awfully quiet this whole time.” Amarus’s attention turned suddenly to Noctis. Noctis shifted on his seat to a straighter, more confident, position.

“I wasn’t expecting this outcome either and I battled against it blindly for long, but I will follow the path bestowed upon me by the Astrals, for that is my prior mission as the Lucis’ heir.” Noctis spoke calmly, a hint of sharp coldness in his words.

“What do we even know of this Shiva’s chosen partner?” Amarus was now waving his arms, getting a thoughtful hum from interior minister Paries, too.

“Plenty enough to tell he’s got a good heart and a kind nature, something which are always associated with the Queen,” Regis said firmly. “He has been studied hard and has shown excellent progress. Any king should be proud of having such a Queen next to them.”

“He’s been studying already?” Sir Tertius mumbled; his eyes narrowing slightly. “May I ask if His Young Highness has been aware of the mission’s outcome some time already?”

“I had to be. I couldn’t risk Lucis’ future by being unsure of my resolve,” Noctis replied to him, though Sir Tertius’s question was directed to Regis. It annoyed Noctis that he was being ignored once again regarding his Divine Mission.

“But The Young Highness is ready to put Lucis’ future in danger because of his resolve!” Amarus was back to fuming, his lips trembling. “And all this talk about possible future liaison with Niflheim’s Iron Princess… My Astrals, Your Majesty, this can’t end in anything favorable!”

“Are you suggesting I should discipline my son for following his Divine Mission?” Regis’s voice was rather dark when he talked to Amarus. Before Amarus could speak, Paries was leaning against the table, frowning.

“The Old Alliance will not take this lightly, Your Highness,” he muttered, bothered. “We should prepare ourselves and the palace for inner riots and protests; especially if The Old Alliance will gain more support. They have been acting peacefully for a long time but some of the fanatics are ready to go to almost any lengths to keep the monarchy as it has been and as they’d like it to be.”

“We’re aware of their possible threat and we’re also preparing for the counter protests from those who see this as the new era for Lucis, where the gender comes after how the monarchy rules people. . Have a good King and Queen but a bad ruling, and the nation will perish,” Cor joined in the conversation with his raspy voice. “Another possible threat for the inner safety are the Astral Prophets, who can oppose The Old Alliance if they protest against the will of Shiva.”

Noctis was listening to the conversation with a darkened frown. He hadn’t anticipated that there would be so many people getting involved just because of his relationship with Prompto. He pondered if any of those groups just mentioned were dangerous to Prompto. He got his answer immediately, when Cor leaned back in his seat and turned his stern gaze to Noctis.

“It would do good for The Young Heir and His Fated Partner if Mr. Argentum was given a bodyguard, too, and kept inside the palace for the first few weeks. I suggest deeper surveillance in public for The Prince Noctis, too, as his next week’s first TV appearance will make his face known publicly more than it’s already known.”

Noctis swallowed. It sounded like there was something as horrible as an assassination planned either for him or Prompto. His head shot sharply up to Cor’s direction.

“I trust you, Cor. You may take any measurements needed to keep Prompto save,” he said. His head was starting to hurt again.

“I will do my best,” Cor responded, a deep nod accompanying his promise.

Regarding everything else, some sort of a peace was gained in the meeting room after three hours or debate back and forth, but Noctis knew it was only because his father said so. He gave a last glance at Amarus, who’s stare traveled back to Noctis along his nose, but neither one of them said anything. Noctis didn’t even dare to think what would happen when the news of Prompto’s origin reached the ears of Amarus and the Old Alliance Cor was worried about.

It ached Noctis’s heart to hear how much his mission was indeed affecting everyone. If he had been just a commoner, nothing bad would linger in the air for something as wonderful as loving someone and being loved back.

With rather dragging steps, Noctis left the meeting room, getting patted on the back by his father. Instead of encouragement, the pat felt heavy like iron on Noctis shoulder.

His collar itched restlessly.

In the following days, an announcement was carried out to Prompto and Noctis that the Royal Committee Board had accepted King Regis’s request for Duke’s title for Prompto. The official naming ceremony, which contained a service to the Astrals, would be performed right after the wedding ceremony as planned. Prompto barely stayed in his skin, so excited he was for the new title, blabbering to Noctis that he really had no idea of how to act like a nobleman – to which Noctis said he could just continue being Prompto and that would be enough. This news gave Prompto more energy and drive to study even harder to live up to his title. However, due old protocol reasons, it was decided that while Prompto would eventually be promoted to a Duke of Parvus – a small island between Insomnia and Galand – the title of Queen would still linger with Prompto in this odd case where the King’s partner was male. All rules and regulations of the King’s Queen would be something Prompto should follow himself, too. Prompto personally had nothing against this idea. A queen or a duke, it was all the same to Prompto, as long as he could stay with Noctis.

Noctis’s days grew longer and longer with all the important meetings, messages from the city and the neighboring countries – including sour voices rising here and there regarding his mission’s end. He did his best to hide such ill talk from Prompto’s ears and asked others to do the same, so that Prompto would feel secure and able to study for his role. Oddly, no messages from Niflheim were sent. Though Ignis assured Noctis that Stella was aware of his Mission’s clearing. Partly, Noctis was relieved about it, partly, it made him nervous because he would have wanted some kind of note from her to know how he, as the future king, should brace himself for Niflheim’s reactions. But the enemy nation stayed silent, lingering only as a thought in the back of Noctis’s head.

A guard named Mir was commanded to act as Prompto’s personal royal guard and Gladio also promised he’d keep his eye on Prompto, but his foremost job was to protect Noctis. All needed measurements and arrangements both for Noctis’s and Prompto’s sake were done before Noctis made his first national TV appearance, which was also shown in the neighboring nations’ news. The TV appearance went well and Noctis himself was very proud of how well he had delivered the speech written with the Communication Department – he had practiced it a lot in front of Ignis, Iris and Prompto before the TV performance. Prompto was clearly relieved when he didn’t need to show his face on TV – yet. It would only be a matter of time. At least, it would happen at their wedding.

With the rolling of his eyes and groans, Noctis tossed away any joyful, mocking, hollering and so forth type of a headline coming from The Snapshot, and other trash journal magazine’s directions, stating how the crown prince was indeed gay. They polished their sides, republishing and linking their old news and rumors and speculations for all the people to see, underlined with the official announcement that the Divine Mission’s outcome was nothing more than Noctis setting himself up with none other than his best friend, Mr. Argentum. Prompto looked a bit guilty at the news, but laughed at them nevertheless, especially when Noctis reminded himself how happy he was to have Prompto by his side. Silently, Noctis wanted to know how the nation had taken the news but didn’t dare to ask about it from anyone. Judging from the palace’s atmosphere, it was still unsure; some of the people supported them and some of the people didn’t so much and Noctis was also able to see and sense that in their palace’s staff, though no one dared to oppose their heir openly. He did feel a bit uncertain about some personnel, mentioning about them to Gladio, too.

Though Lunafreya had left rather quickly after the ceremony back to Ravus’s aid, a small envelope with her signature fragrance arrived at the palace after Noctis’s TV performance. It contained two paper-folded amulets; blessings for a blooming, everlasting love, and small personal note for Noctis and Prompto each. While Noctis’s message contained a sisterly reminder how Noctis was doing great with his head held up high and how Lunafreya would support Noctis as his loyal Oracle with this matter, Prompto’s message was a cute small drawing of a small chocobo chick with a note “I’ll ask you to remain ever at Noctis’s side.” And the romantic Prompto was, his heart almost burst at such beautiful words.

Then the next day, it happened. The worst thing possible. Ignis rushed in Noctis’s room, startling both Noctis and Prompto awake from their sweet slumber. Before Noctis managed to properly open his eyes and register what was going on, Ignis slammed the door shut and rushed to stand next to Noctis’s bed, completely ignoring the tiredness on Noctis’s face.

“The truth is out. Someone spilled it out before the time was right,” Ignis said with a hiss, hasty. 

“What is?” Noctis sat up, more alarmed now.

“That Prompto is an MT,” Ignis replied, his lips tight and eyes icy. 

Prompto bounced up from the bed as soon as his name was mentioned, Noctis following him in a hurry. Noctis’s blue eyes were like two big plates as he stared at Ignis’s stone cold face.

“But that’s impossible!” he cried, shocked. “The PR-department wasn’t going to release the news yet! Who gave them permission?”

“No one did, but somehow the news is out. The Snapshot was the one to snoop it out the fastest – yet again. We’re having an emergency meeting. Your presence is required there. Prompto, you should come, too.”

“No, Prompto stays here!” Noctis hastily declined, his arm rising to his side to protect Prompto. 

“Noct, this concerns me-” Prompto tried but Noctis turned around on his heels, his eyes worriedly casting over Prompto.

“Please, let me handle this,” he pleaded.

Prompto’s eyes traveled to Ignis, unsure, and Ignis straightened his back.

“I must say that Prompto’s presence would be a good thing…” he offered with his hands drawing behind his back, but Noctis shook his head.

“I can’t allow that.”

“…It’s fine. I’ll stay here,” Prompto gave up surprisingly easily, his head hanging low. “I’d probably miss half of the conversation anyway.”

Ignis cast a very long look at Noctis, a deep hum rising from his chest.

“Well, I suppose it’s perhaps the best not to take Prompto into the hornet’s nest, while this does concern him…” he agreed, not entirely standing behind Noctis’s decision to exclude Prompto. “We can arrange another meeting with Prompto when we have come up with a solution to this. But now, Noct: Dress up. We need to go and do it quick. There’s a little chaos going on inside the palace and your father is doing his best to keep things together, but this is your job now, Noctis. Prompto, I will send out a breakfast for you. Someone from the kitchen will deliver it here.”

Prompto was left alone in the bedroom only with The Fat Chocobo keeping him company. He fished it up from the nearby chair and went back to bed, pressing the toy hard against his bare chest, frowning.

“…It’s all happening at once, Frans,” Prompto mumbled with a tiny voice into the Fat Chocobo’s fluffy head. “I feel like I had barely gotten a breather from the Divine Mission ceremony and here we go again.” His eyes shut down with a deep, deep groan. Prompto pressed his face against Frans’s fat body. The toy remained as silent as Prompto. 

Noctis hadn’t talked much about what was going on overall with the royal stuff, but Prompto could tell that it hadn’t been that good. Noctis looked tired and exhausted after every meeting, but whenever Prompto tried to pry something, even a small fragment of information, Noctis just reassured Prompto that he shouldn’t worry about anything that was happening. He had learned something from Ignis and Gladio, but even they seemed to think twice before they spoke to Prompto about anything. He pondered that Noctis had told them not to tell him. In Prompto’s eyes, the Completion Ceremony had brought more hassle than ease to Noctis, which felt very unfair.

“Maybe I’m not worthy enough of the information,” Prompto mumbled to Frans after being silent for a long time.  “Perhaps I wouldn’t understand the royal stuff as well as I should. I’d wanted to go with Noctis now, but he was clearly too much against it. Have I done something to annoy Noctis? What do you think, Frans?” Prompto’s head rose up as he took a look at the plushie in his hold. It didn’t reply – just stared at Prompto with lazy bead-eyes.

“…Yeah, I thought the same. Nothing worthy of mentioning to me. Though, knowing Noctis, he’s probably trying to protect me or something similar. I think…” Prompto muttered to himself. “I just… I wish he’d trust me more, Frans. Like you trust Pickle-Tickle, yeah?” 

Prompto’s face darkened suddenly, his eyes drooping. He sighed, beaten.

“…Well, I am a MT…” he whispered, hugging Frans. “Who would trust an MT? Not me, if you asked me! The pit is just getting deeper, Frans. I’m… I’m actually afraid…” Prompto whispered with an even tinier voice, his gaze fixating on an invisible spot before him. “I… I should just try not to cause any trouble to Noctis and the palace, yes? Just to lay low and be quiet. Perhaps, if I had gone to the meeting with Noctis and Ignis, I might have accidentally said something which could have been understood wrong, especially when coming from an MT. Perhaps Noctis was right asking me to stay here.” Then he kept a pause, chuckling dryly after a little thinking. “I know, I know. I’m babbling nonsense. Sorry, Frans.” 

He let Frans drop on the bed slowly and stood up himself, finding his shirt and pants to put on. He didn’t know where he should go or what he should do whilst waiting, so Prompto remained in Noctis’s room, looking out from the window and hoping for the best. He could only imagine how shocked the people down there on the street levels were – if they believed The Snapshot’s news. On the other hand, why wouldn’t they? After all, The Snapshot had been right about Noctis’s having the hots for Prompto – and far sooner than Prompto and Noctis themselves had been aware of it. People would remember it. They would take the rumors of Prompto’s real form seriously, even when they were delivered by trash journalists. 

Prompto swallowed heavily.

“…I’m no daemon…” he whispered sadly, his eyes forlorn and distant. “I… I wasn’t made to kill anyone or turn into a beast… I’m not a property of Niflheim… I’m not… I’m not---” His eyes drifted to his tattoo, hidden underneath his wristband. “… I’m a human. I’m… I’m not a monster…”

But how would anyone in Lucis believe in that when Prompto himself couldn’t believe it either?

At the meantime, Noctis battled with the shocked, outraged palace staff, trying to calm their nerves with the help of his father and Cor, pleading to the fact that this was Shiva’s choice and Prompto was harmless. If Prompto had wanted to harm Noctis, he’d have done that already. That no, no, Prompto had no hidden Niflheimian agenda to rise to the throne, and why would Shiva even give such a future for Lucis’ heir, to the one she was supposed to protect from all harm?

But hardly anyone listened.

It took the whole day to negotiate about the open crisis and it was still unsure how it should be addressed to the public when the meeting was over. Next meeting was appointed for tomorrow morning, as early as possible, with the PR department’s head personnel, The King, and Noctis.

Noctis returned to Prompto at late evening, utterly exhausted and shaky, and when Prompto pulled him into a warm, welcoming embrace, Noctis burst immediately into tears, sobbing apologies to Prompto for all this mess he couldn’t prevent from happening, telling him he had done his best but no one listened to him and how stubborn the majority of the people – even in the palace – were about MTs, though they didn’t know any like Noctis did. To Prompto it sounded like Noctis wasn’t only lamenting his inability to keep things in check but also his disappointment of not being taken seriously in this matter. In between Noctis’s sad sobs Prompto also got a sensation that this MT crisis had hit King Regis rather hard – perhaps he, like Noctis, had expected the palace would understand things better and not be against Shiva’s will so strongly – but Prompto didn’t dare to ask if his inner gut feeling was right about the matter. He just held Noctis and let him cry and pour his disappointment out, hoping to come across solid and unshakable despite the nasty gnawing sensation inside his stomach, which had already eaten an empty hole into his chest. 

The next day’s meeting arrived and Noctis dragged himself there, the last badly slept night weighting his burning eyes. Prompto had demanded to come there with him this time and Noctis had been too tired to fight against Prompto. Only a handful of people were present compared to yesterday’s crisis and Prompto could feel their intense stares on him. Yet, he stood there, as confidently as possible – mostly for Noctis’s sake – and strangely, no comments about Prompto were made. Perhaps it was due to his presence that everyone’s tongues stayed in their places, perhaps it was the fact Noctis was there, too, but whatever it was, after a few hours of mulling over different options it was decided that this rumor was brushed off for now. Official information on Prompto’s background would be given later, after their engagement, as it would give an impression that the palace and Lucis’ bloodline blessed the marriage and were devoted to Shiva, no matter what. To Prompto it sounded both reasonable and perhaps a bit too weak at the same time for a resolve for something this big, yet he kept his lips sealed and said nothing. Not even when more news of restless activity started to spread on the internet; Prompto found out about several groups going on about some royal conspiracy theory, and it chilled him so much he didn’t dare to dig in deeper; just hinted to Cor that something like this was going on so that Cor could take it further into the security department if he saw it necessary. 

It was never found out where and how The Snapshot got the news of Prompto, and it raised the alarm level inside the palace, weighing on Noctis’s shoulders heavily. The possibility of Niflheim having their hands on this was flashed in speeches more than once but no one dared to blame Niflheim of this officially. Even hints of that reaching Nilfheim could backfire on Lucis badly so the whole crisis and its reasons were brushed away quietly, while a very small nuclear team of PR personnel and Noctis and King Regis tried to make proper plans over the matter in the shadows. Prompto felt, more or less, left out of the matter and something inside of him said to him that it was good – that he should stay away from this completely and just concentrate on his studies. And that was what Prompto did, trying to appear as small and non-threatening as possible in everyone’s eyes, hoping it would subdue the rumors and calm down the palace’s thick air. Besides his studies and training, Prompto didn’t really feel comfortable walking in the palace, but stayed either in his room or in Noctis’s room, where he watched how Noctis’s face looked more and more exhausted by every passing day.

On the outside of the palace, The Snapshot seemed to gain more curious support in the upcoming weeks due the palace being so quiet about the matter, but Prompto tried not to think about it at all. He felt sorry for Noctis, as when the time passed by his face got even more tired, his expression switching between blank and worried. It didn’t help that Regis’s health had started to act up, too, due to everything which was going on. Ignis had mumbled to Prompto that it was most likely because Regis felt helpless when he couldn’t protect Noctis properly. Prompto understood him – he, himself, also felt very helpless and he tried to compensate it with pampering Noctis whenever possible with hugs and kisses. Noctis often slept in his arms, snoozing off the responsibilities of the crown heir, and it reminded Prompto painfully of the time when they had been on their journey and how Noctis had started to fall asleep on his own. 

It felt like they were heading backwards. Instead of progressing towards Noctis’s future, they were slipping back into the darkness Noctis had felt during his journey. 

When no one was looking, Prompto left and hid himself in the nearest bathroom and cried away his anxiousness, wiping his face with cold tissues and putting on the fake mask of “All’s good” afterwards. Something he’d learned to do since childhood. Something he thought he’d need in the future, too. But he had never imagined, not even in his wildest dreams, that he’d cry those tears for Noctis’s sake, as his Queen. 

As his helpless, bastard, human-made Niflheimian Queen.


	25. Sour Voices

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the Fate takes a choking hold of Noctis.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Should I say that "the season 2" of The Loveless Prince has just began. This won't be as long as the story has been so far but I have no specific plans for how many chapters this story will contain. It will has as many as it needs to be told fully. 
> 
> Thank you for your tremendous support! My wish is to write stories professionally in a way or another, so your support and interest means a lot to me. I already DO write a lot, but as a ghost writer for commercial business. It's fun but stories feel more inspiring to me :3
> 
> Thank you again Rynn and Shake-Your-Mane for your hard work with this story and this chapter!
> 
> New update arrives when proofreaders are done with it :3

Ignis raced through the palace yard, shielding himself against the heavy rain with an umbrella, which kept trying to fly from his hands into the strong, howling wind. He had just gotten an urgent message from the guards at the front gates – a message meant only for his ears – and boggled, Ignis tried to squint through the mixture of the rain and the blinding palace lights to see what was going on at the gate. The guard on the left side of the gate was standing with his gun in his hand, his body turned to Ignis. Near him stood a shorter, hooded female figure dressed in black with an umbrella covering their head. There was no car indicating how the figure had gotten there, but when Ignis got closer to the guard, he noticed the guard’s nervous state. Ignis was about to ask about it when his gaze drifted back to the figure standing on the other side of the fancily-decorated cast iron gate. 

“Ah, it’s you!” Ignis gasped, closing the distance between him and the gate. A faint smile rose up on the figure’s lips.

“Long time no see, Mr. Scientia,” a gentle voice spoke back at him over the falling rain.

“What should we do, Sir?” the guard next to Ignis asked, obviously distressed.

“…Open the gate. If we have a guest, we should receive them graciously,” Ignis replied sharply after considering the options for a moment.

“What about the King?” The guard kept hesitating, his head gazing back and forth between Ignis and the woman.

“Oh, I’m here to see The Prince - if I may,” the woman replied before Ignis could speak, her eyes flickering with humor.

“I’ll take responsibility for her,” Ignis said to the guard, hurrying him to open the gate to get the guest out from the pouring rain. 

The gate was opened, slowly, and the guest entered gracefully, curtsying with her head low in response to Ignis’s bow. 

“Thank you for having me, even though it is so sudden.” She raised her head up slowly, Ignis straightening his back after her.

“If I may, let’s continue our conversation indoors. Some tea, perhaps?” Ignis started to lead them towards palace’s long steps.

“I’d be most grateful for such hospitality. I have heard the Crown City Dumplings are a piece of heaven on Eos.”

“I will arrange for them immediately,” Ignis promised.

They hurried inside as fast as they could, and when they reached the palace’s front hall, a lightning bolt raced across the sky. The guest smiled as Ignis took her folded, wet umbrella.

“I hope the Gods and The Goddesses aren’t angry at my presence here.” She looked at the ceiling, listening to the sound of the thunder rolling after the bright light.

“If Your Imperial Highness wishes, she may be allowed to perform a small service at the church to soothe them,” Ignis offered.

Stella, still wearing to black hood to cover her identity, laughed at him softly.

“That won’t be necessary, Sir.” Her hand lifted up to her smiling lips. “For us in Niflheim, the Gods and The Goddesses aren’t as crucial as they are in Lucis.”

Ignis nodded, his eyes narrowing slightly. 

“I shall inform Noctis of your visit. Please, this way.” Ignis bowed once more, his handing stretching out to the direction of where Stella should follow him. “I’m sure the King and His Young Highness will be surprised.”

“If I may, I’d prefer to handle this with The Prince only. I have so little time and I wish not to meddle with His Majesty’s presence.” Stella followed Ignis by his side, her head bowed down so that the hood was hiding her face. “I also wish that my presence in Lucis is not spoken of.”

“Word of your visitation will stay strictly inside these walls, known only by a few people,” Ignis assured.

“I thank you for trusting me in this matter and allowing me in,” Stella whispered as they snaked through the palace to avoid encountering anyone.

“There must be a very good reason for such a sudden visit,” Ignis simply replied, careful not to let anything slip out that could reach any outside ears.

Ignis led Stella into one of the closest conference rooms, far enough from the central areas of the palace that no one would be there, and then through it to a small gallery that was rarely used. Ignis ordered palace staff to make ready some tea and dumplings, while he himself went to fetch Noctis and Gladio. Prompto was caught up in napping on his room’s sofa near the window, and he was woken up gently by Noctis. Ignis told them under his breath of who the guest was, and Noctis’s and Gladio’s faces darkened the closer to their guest they became. Excusing himself to get what he needed from the kitchen, Ignis left the group, just to be caught by Prompto running hastily after him, insisting he wanted to help Ignis with the food. 

Noctis went inside, Gladio following right at his feet, and they met face to face with Stella, her hood now removed from her face. Noctis stopped. With a serious expression on his face, Noctis bowed at Stella in unison with Gladio.

“Your Imperial Highness has blessed us with Her presence,” Noctis greeted Stella formally, his head still bowed.

Stella stood up and returned Noctis’s greeting with a formal curtsy, her head bent down deeply as well with her hands elegantly at her sides. 

“I must apologize for arriving to meet Their Young Highness without Their approval, in secrecy like this, but I dared not send a message, for there are sneaky ears and eyes around. Thus, I wanted to see Their Royal Prince face to face,” she apologized. 

Noctis paled a bit, but kept his face as calm as possible.

“I appreciate the thoughtfulness of Her Highness,” Noctis thanked Stella, straightening his posture and gesturing Stella to take her seat. He sat next to her, their chairs slightly turned to face each other, while Gladio stood behind Noctis with his arms behind his back, facing forward.

“I must also apologize for my cape and boots wetting Their furniture,” Stella apologized once more, right when Ignis entered the room with Prompto, both of them carrying silver trays. Stella’s eyes immediately drew to Prompto, who tried to act as balanced and calm as possible in front of her, without dropping the tray or tripping over on the expensive carpet underneath them.

“Your Imperial Highness,” Ignis spoke softly, placing an elegant cup front of her. “And the dumplings, which I promised,” he continued whilst Prompto placed a plate of food under Stella’s nose, not being as graceful with his movements as Ignis. 

“Splendid. I thank you, Sir Scientia. And Sir Argentum, wasn’t it?” Stella’s voice startled Prompto, who babbled hastily.

“Y-Yes, Your Highness,” Prompto pressed the empty tray against his chest.

Stella eyed Prompto for a long time, curiously, measuring him from head to toe whilst Ignis filled her cup with steaming herbal tea, pouring a cup also for Noctis and Prompto. Slowly Stella stood up, to everyone’s surprise, and curtsied at Prompto, drawing a surprised gasp from Prompto’s lips.

“It’s a pleasure to meet Their Highness’s Beloved One,” she said softly in her bent figure. “I remember Them from Their Royal Highness’s journey. Their Beloved One's missing was a big blow to Their Young Highness from what I heard.”

“Pl—please, Prompto’s just enough…” Prompto murmured, his hands squeezing the tray tighter. “We’re not married yet...” he muttered, flustered. Ignis took the tray from Prompto’s hand, making him blush even more that he was acting so strange in front of a Princess.

“It must be wonderful to Their Royal Highness and Their Beloved One to have Their mission ended. It must be wonderful to finally have Their Beloved One at Their side.” Stella kept smiling after sitting back down. She gestured Prompto to take a chair next to Noctis, which Prompto did – rather hesitantly, though. 

“I’m certainly relieved,” Noctis replied to Stella, his expression unsure of what was going on. Stella saw it and gave him a chuckle, reaching for her tea cup, politely urging Noctis to drink with her.

“I had an inkling of what was going on when Their Highness left in such a hurry, and especially when Their Advisor approached me with a rather unusual request thereafter,” Stella spoke into the tea cup, her eyes trained playfully on Noctis. “Fear not, Highness, for They have not offended me in any way. I’m happy to see things are working out for Their Highness. Yet, I must confess that I’m not here just to congratulate Their Highness for Their success, but I’m bringing some serious news for Their Highness’s ears. That much They must have understood already.”

The mood shifted immediately at Stella’s sad tone. Noctis cleared his throat.

“Is there something wrong in Niflheim?” he offered.

“Sort of, but by not me be nor my father,” Stella replied, sighing. “My reliable sources have brought disturbing news from Tenebrae. I take that Their Oracle is in there at this moment, Highness?”

“Yes, Lunafreya visits there often and is currently staying more on Tenebraen ground than on Insomnian due to family reasons,” Noctis agreed, worried.

“Her brother, Sir Ravus, got married recently, settling down in the lovely Absum, as we all know,” Stella began, placing her cup down. “His love for His beloved sister is overflowing and the recent news from Insomnia from Their Highness has angered Him greatly. A certain… sore subject regarding Their Very Beloved One was also let in the air a few months ago and it seems to linger in the air persistently…” Stella chose her words carefully.

Noctis was quiet, listening. Everyone shared glances with each other until Noctis spoke, shifting in his seat.

“Your Imperial Highness has heard rumors only,” Noctis said firmly, earning a knowing, playful smile from Stella. She crossed her legs, leaning back in her chair.

“Only rumors those are, indeed.” She kept smiling, looking briefly at Ignis, to whom she had delivered reports of Prompto’s refugee origins years ago.

“Does this anger of Ravus have something to do with the fact that Shiva denied me from marrying Lunafreya and gave me Prompto instead?” Noctis returned to the subject.

“Yes. A very personal matter for Sir Ravus, I’m afraid,” Stella said, her gaze now on Noctis’s face. “If I was in Their Highness’s position, I’d keep my eyes in Absum’s direction.”

Noctis’s nose wrinkled. Prompto was squeezing both of his hands in his lap, looking nervous, but he said nothing. 

“I was expecting resistance and resistance I got, but Ravus turning against us… That sounds insane…” Noctis mumbled, searching Ignis’s face for some comment.

“Ravus must have been disappointed when a royal bloodline ‘abandoned’ his sister,” Ignis offered, his tone serious. Everyone silently agreed with Ignis, all except Noctis, whose face turned to indignation. 

“I didn’t abandon Luna,” Noctis growled through his teeth. “It was the will of Shiva herself. I would’ve married her like planned without Shiva’s intervening. Besides, Luna herself was fine with how things turned out. She hasn’t questioned me or The Astrals, not even once, nor has she given me any reasons to doubt her devotion to Lucis’s future. Ravus has no reason to be disappointed in that.”

“Disappointment is a mild way to put it, from what I’ve heard from Absum,” Stella put in in a concerned manner. “It’d do good for Their Highness to look after Themselves and Their Beloved One in these… restless times. Should Ravus act upon something, there might be others seeking to throw Their Highness  from Their Future , with or without Their Beloved One at Their side. If I may, I’d keep My Beloved One very close to my heart…” Stella trailed her words as her head turned slowly to Prompto’s side. Prompto still couldn’t speak; he looked too anxious for any words.

“Pardon my interruption, Your Imperial Highness, but why are You telling us this?” Gladio’s eyes squinted and his mouth pulled into a deep frown. His attention had been turned to Stella the moment Ravus was mentioned. 

Stella’s head cocked cutely to right, towards her shoulder, and she took a playful look at Gladio, a smirk dancing on the corner of her painted lips.

“It is good that Their Guardian is questioning my reason to be here,” she started. “I must say I took a liking to Their Young Highness at Their visitations.” She simply smiled, making Noctis’s blush madly and Prompto pale at her words.

“L—Liking?” Prompto whined under his breath, still loudly enough for everyone to hear it. No one reacted to it, though.

“It would be a shame if something happened to Their Young Highness and Their Beloved One,” Stella continued with a smile on, her attention now on Prompto.  Prompto seemed to shrink a bit under Stella’s gaze, his pale face flaming with a deep red color over his freckles. 

“…So, You are on our side,” Ignis mumbled.

“Oh, I take no sides,” Stella corrected him, the faint smile still lingering on her lips. “Who I am does not allow me to do such things. However, I’m allowed to act based on who I truly am, aren’t I?”

“This ‘alliance’ is a secret?” Noctis asked, his lips pressed tight. The blush on his face made his serious face look not-so-serious, amusing Stella.

“They must understand that I’m not allowed to forge any official bond with Their Highness as the Princess of Niflheim but I can act freely as my own self,” Stella replied to Noctis’s faintly red face. “However, if a need for such an act should arise, I’d need to negotiate about it officially with Their Young Royal Highness, and Their Royal Father.”

“Not to mention what the Emperor would have to say about that…” Ignis’s voice was low as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“Precisely.” Stella nodded. “However, knowing my Father, it’s possible he’s not interested in any ill intentions between Niflheim and Lucis. His health… is not at its best. He knows his limitations…”

“May I ask how he has taken the news of my Mission’s outcome?” Noctis asked, a sensation of hesitance in his voice.

Stella leaned back in her seat, sighing.

“If I may quote him directly, he said that he never understood why those Lucian bastards put so much value in spirits’ words, so much that they’d kill their own bloodline,” she mumbled, crossing her legs the other way around. “If I also may, it surprises me, too, but Lucis need not give explanation to me. Their Young Highness does as They are meant to do.”

“I… I thank you for Your understanding.” Noctis bowed down quickly, getting a delighted laugh from Stella. She gestured Noctis to raise his head, but her eyes were forlorn when Noctis’s gaze locked with hers.

“I’m in no position to resist The Gods and The Goddesses,” she said. “Or should I say I’m in no position to  _ dare _ resist The Gods and The Goddesses. The price for going against a wish of an Astral could be too much for us mortals to bear. I wish not to take such a risk. As the heir of Niflheim, my interest is first to protect my people. I’m sure Their Highness also understands this from Their own position.”

“I wish not to do anything to cause harm to my people,” Noctis replied quickly. “During these years, I have given my all to find a way to please everyone; to keep my kingdom’s future secured. For this, I must thank Your Imperial Highness for bringing me this news, however grave.”

“I see Their Young Highness is still the same as They were when I had the pleasure to meet Them the first time,” Stella pointed out politely. “I’m sure Their Highness and Their Beloved One will soon get ‘official’ news  - in one way or another - of this restless movement in front of Sir Ravus’s feet,” Stella hinted with almost a flirty voice, her focus now on Ignis standing nearby. Gladio followed Stella’s gaze, his frown now so deep it looked like one of the scars on his face.

“We need to inform Cor about this. Maybe The King, too,” Gladio murmured with a growl. “Should there be a need to dispatch a spy to see how things in Ravus’s home are whilst waiting for something ‘official,’ I’ll be the one supporting the project.”

“I like how Their Royal Highness’s Guardian thinks.” Stella looked pleased, her smile directed to Gladio. 

“It’s indeed a good idea to hint something to Cor but I’d wait for something ‘official’ to arrive first before we talk with The King Regis,” Ignis spoke thoughtfully, waiting for a reply to his suggestion. Noctis stared ahead, not even blinking.

“…I agree,” he simply said, careful not to mention in the presence of Stella about anything of Regis’s bad health. 

“While I can’t get myself deeper into this situation, I wished to aid Their Young Highness somehow. Their visits at my palace’s garden were most delightful and I’d wish to see Their Young Highness and Their Beloved One there, in my lily garden, after Their Royal Wedding. Please, it would delight and please me greatly. Their Advisor and Their Guardian will also be free to join Us.” Stella gestured her hand toward Ignis and Gladio, her voice soft and pleasant.

Noctis took a quick look at Prompto, who looked more or less freaked out by the thought of them going to Niflheim once more. Noctis’s lips pursed as he tried to hastily mull over the best possible reply for Stella’s invitation.

“Then, we’ll wait for Her Highness’s official invitation,” he replied, hoping it was formal and positive enough to appease Stella. She accepted Noctis’s reply with a small nod of her head; her neck bending elegantly.

“In that case, when They are free, They will receive a letter from me, signed personally by my very own hand. I will personally see to Their and Their Beloved One’s safety at my garden,” she promised.

Noctis didn’t reply, just nodded. He understood that as long as the situation was as easily flammable as it was at the very moment, taking Prompto to Niflheim – even with Stella’s promise – was too risky. He was sure Stella also understood it all but nonetheless acted based on the formalities.

“Now, let me excuse myself this suddenly, Their Royal Highness. I have spoken enough. I must return back to Niflheim quickly as my Father does not know I’m here. Please, I request Their Grace to keep this meeting as a secret from the public and from Nilfheim. I went to great lengths to keep my identity hidden on my journey here.” Stella stood up hastily, making Noctis and Prompto shoot up also. 

“This meeting will stay between us only, though a rumor of the possible problem at hand must be delivered to one of my most trusted men,” Noctis promised from his bowed stance. “If a need in the future arises, I must talk with the King, though. The message You have so kindly and willingly delivered to me has troubled my heart and it might be wise if I consulted my Father for his wisdom.”

“I understand. Their Young Highness is free to do as They see the best with this matter regarding the current King of Lucis, as long as Their actions aren’t harmful to me,” Stella agreed with a steady voice, turning around on her heels.

“Your Imperial Highness!” Noctis straightened himself up and stopped Stella from leaving hastily. His hands balled into fists as Stella’s head turned over her shoulder to listen. “My sincere apologies that Lunafreya wasn’t here…”

Stella was quiet for a second, but then smiled, a small huff leaving her lips. She turned her head forward.

“Their Royal Highness is not responsible for Their Oracle’s movements, are They?” she casually marked. “Lunafreya is where She should be at this moment. Her position is… rather challenging.”

“…Is that why You arrived here with the news, Your Imperial Highness?” Noctis asked suddenly. 

Stella didn’t reply. Her head rose higher, chin lifting up as she stared in front of herself, her back still turned to Noctis.

“Despite the distance, She’s my family – and so is that idiot brother of Hers.” She sighed, making her way out from the room without further goodbyes. 

Looking at Stella’s retreating figure - Ignis walking with her out of the room, chatting about where they should accommodate her over the stormy night - Noctis understood that family was a fickle thing. Not only for him, but for others, too.

He bowed after Stella, knowing she couldn’t see it anymore but maybe she could sense his gratitude this way. Then he straightened his back and went to Prompto, who was fighting back tears. He sobbed slightly when Noctis pulled him into his embrace, petting his head as Prompto hid his face in Noctis’s neck. 

“There’s a war coming…” Prompto’s voice trembled, barely above a whisper as his arms wrapped around Noctis’s waist. “Isn’t that what she meant?”

“No one’s talking about any war, just about Ravus who’s gotten his panties in a knot.” Noctis tried to calm Prompto down, petting his hair, but he couldn't hide the anxiousness from his voice as well as he had hoped. 

On his back, Noctis was able to feel Gladio’s stern stare, but like so very often nowadays, Gladio’s mouth didn’t open for any words – and Noctis didn’t feel like prying his thoughts out either. 

 

\-------------------------------------

 

Time passed without anything happening and Noctis’s birthday arrived. It was celebrated nation-wide due to Noctis now being the recognized heir of Lucis’s throne, but the atmosphere was restless despite the festivities.  Cor had silently taken a look at Absum’s activities, though his eyes stayed trained keenly on Insomnia too. Groups supporting the bloodline of Lucis were enraged by the fact the bloodline would die now because of Prompto. The rumors of Prompto’s past as an MT also circled widely, causing worry in the nation, and the borders near Niflheim were as resilient as ever. All these things took away from Noctis’s happiness and ease. Even though it was his birthday, it looked like Shiva would be tormenting him with nightmares again.

Prompto’s worry for Noctis grew day by day, and while he most likely imagined it, it looked like Gladio’s frown directed at Prompto was growing, too. Prompto couldn’t blame Gladio for that; if his eyes weren’t betraying him then the glare in Gladio’s eyes was indeed because of Prompto. He just hoped things would turn out fine, eventually – before Noctis would tire out more. 

As Noctis’s birthday present, it was arranged for Noctis to finally take his Holy collar off. The health department and the magick department both worried that it would be too much for Noctis to bear now, especially when he had been affected by Holy for so long in one go, without any incidences. Everyone seemed a bit alarmed when the collar was removed, but a smile broke on Noctis’s lips and he went to nuzzle Prompto – now also collar-free – as soon as the health department let him go. 

“This is the best birthday present,” Noctis sighed into Prompto’s neck, nuzzling deeper. “The best birthday present, ever.”

“I’m happy you’re happy,” Prompto replied to Noctis, embracing him softly. He didn’t dare to mention out loud that he hadn’t seen Noctis smiling so relaxedly in a long time.

In order to get the restlessness inside Lucis to calm down, the palace requested – unaware that Noctis already proposed to Prompto - that Noctis and Prompto plan their engagement and have it sooner than later. Noctis looked a bit bothered, saying that he had wished to wait for things to calm down more before they got engaged, as this would give the people enough time to accept the news of their wedding, but he also understood what PR value their engagement had at a time like this. Thus, Noctis and Prompto sat down in one particular afternoon with the company of Ignis and PR department’s head to discuss about the engagement, officially. 

“The engagement doesn’t have to be as formal as the wedding, so any day should be suitable for it,” the PR department’s head reminded Noctis and Prompto, who both were eyeing the calendar spread in front of them.

“Then I’ll suggest that Ignis orders us rings from the Royal Silversmith and when they are done, we announce it and celebrate the engagement nationwide,” Noctis spoke, getting an agreeing nod from Prompto.

“I shall call the smith and place the order with the Treasury as soon as you two have decided what kind of rings you would want,” Ignis promised. 

“Then we’ll make the decision for them today. Sound good, Prompto?”

“Right.” Prompto nodded, determined.

“When the rings arrive and the engagement becomes official, we’ll send out an announcement stating that both the palace and The King both support Prince’s Divine Mission’s outcome and thus shall stay loyal to the will of Astrals, and all this to secure a safe future for Lucis,” the PR department’s personnel promised. She scribbled something down on her memo.

“There will still be six months until the wedding,” Noctis mumbled, tapping his finger against the table’s surface. “Do you think that’s enough of time for the people to come to terms with this outcome?”

“Are you asking me?” Ignis’s voice rose, boggled. “I’d say as the six months is minimum, there’s no need to hurry the wedding if the atmosphere isn’t suitable yet after that time. The wrong movement at a wrong time can send out a message that the palace doesn’t care for the worry of the people. While the palace does need to act supportive of you and your quest for the throne as assigned by the Astrals, it needs to also take into account the citizens as well. Without them, the monarchy doesn’t exist.”

“…This is all a game to them…” Noctis growled, frustrated. “Why are they so stubborn?”

“The people have many needs and they sometime fear that their needs will not be met, Your Highness.” the PR personnel smiled apologetically to Noctis. “It’s normal that the people don’t think the royalty takes them seriously, especially the regions near Niflheim. But you are already aware of this. So far, we have been lucky and heard no negative news from neighboring countries, though it’s been just a few months from the ending of your mission, Sire.”

Noctis’s eyebrows furrowed lower, lips pressing together.

“…That worries me,” he admitted after a small pause. “I was expecting a heavy reaction from them. Maybe news hasn’t spread yet…?” he mumbled, Stella’s warning nagging in the back of his mind. Ignis gave him a knowing look but the matter was not discussed further.

“Your Highness has a very… broody outlook.” The PR person smiled, relaxed. 

“I’m just being cautious. I’m very aware of how my Divine Mission was full of nothing but problems, and so far it doesn’t seem like it’s ending anytime soon,” Noctis hissed back. 

“I understand. The Astrals are being very demanding of The Prince,” the personnel replied calmly to Noctis’s sullen hiss. “And yet, at the same time, Shiva herself must be protecting Lucis because all enemy nations have been so quiet about their intentions to use The Prince’s Divine Mission’s outcome as their opportunity to strike – all due respect, Mr. Argentum, Sir.”

“It’s fine. I get it,” Prompto replied matter-of-factly. 

“Speaking of which, the MT issue should be handled right after the engagement,” the PR personnel continued. Noctis’s face fell immediately.

“…Is it too soon?” he muttered, looking at everyone in the room. 

“It ties perfectly together with everything. It will be the best option. That’s what we have been talking about already, yes?” the personnel replied, sounding assuring and sure with the decision.

Noctis looked troubled, wrinkling his nose as he rubbed his neck.

“But we haven’t decided anything yet,” he began, just to be cut off the PR personnel.

“That’s why I suggest that we’d set our talks and plans in stone. I suspect The King has nothing against the plan either?”

“…No, I don’t think he will…” Noctis managed to mutter, taking a questioning look at Prompto. A small smile appeared on Prompto’s thin lips.

“I’m cool with it,” he whispered, his eyes somewhat sad. “Better they hear it from us before The Snapshot or the wacky conspiracy theorists gain more followers, yeah?”

Noctis had to chuckle at Prompto’s honest admission.

“…Right.”

“Also, if we address the MT issue at the same time as the engagement news – and arrange the engagement for as soon as possible – The Snapshot and the public can’t accuse the palace of hiding such an important fact for too long,” Ignis reasoned to Noctis, earning a hum from him.

“…So, we should have addressed this earlier…” Noctis mumbled at himself, eyes casting down into his lap. 

“The Prince should leave this matter to us,” the PR representative stated, perhaps sensing how Noctis was going in circles inside of his own mind trying to figure out how and when to deliver the news. 

“…Right. Will do,” he finally agreed with a sigh, turning his head to take a better look at Prompto. “Let’s decide about the rings so Ignis can order them soon, yeah?”

Prompto’s cheeks were rosy and he looked rather bashful while nodding to Noctis.

“Yeah.”

 

\----------

 

When the rings finally arrived a week or so later, Prompto couldn’t take his eyes away from them. It felt unreal that he was here now, looking at the symbols of their engagement with Noctis, whom he had been in love with for so long he couldn’t even tell when the friendship love had turned into a more serious one in his heart. Noctis looked pleased too; his somewhat tired eyes looking gently at the rings resting on a small velvet pillow inside of a box, decorated with fancy golden whirls and royal skulls, like the etiquette stated.

“I’d want to try these out to see if Ignis got the size right, but I don’t dare,” Noctis breathed out. 

“I agree.” Prompto crept closer to Noctis. “Let’s not put them on until the engagement day so we don’t jinx anything.”

“Yeah. Better safe than sorry.” Noctis smiled, closing the box in his hand. Then his head turned to Prompto, who had glued himself to Noctis’s side. “When you want to put these on then?”

“What, me?” Prompto whimpered, pointing at himself. “Shouldn’t you decide the day?”

“…Well, I promised we wouldn’t hurry anything, but turns out I can’t keep those words. So, I want you to decide the day, somewhere near future, for our engagement. Kinda like... like compensation of sorts.” Noctis shyly gestured in the air with his hand, which held the jewelry box.

Prompto was quiet, his lips pursing as he gazed at the closed box in Noctis’s hand.

“…To be honest, I don’t know,” he finally admitted weakly. “I’m sure there’s some sort of protocol or something for this so…”

“Not really,” Noctis shrugged casually. “The wedding is more important, so the engagement doesn’t have any ‘protocols or something’ to go with it. So, I want you to decide.”

Prompto’s heart was hammering rapidly in his chest, his cheeks rosy. 

“...Then I want to do it now,” he breathed out, determined. 

Noctis’s eyes widened, lips parting slightly. The corner of his mouth rose upwards.

“Now?” he repeated, his focus on Prompto’s face. Prompto’s head whipped to Noctis.

“Yeah. Let’s do it, Noct. Just in case something happens,” he said, his voice both eager and determined. 

Noctis found Prompto’s suggestion humorous more or less, which made Prompto protest loudly at his chuckle.

“You think like Ignis!” Noctis pointed out, to Prompto’s dismay, but patted his back nevertheless. “It’s a good way of thinking though, but I thought you’d want something super romantic.”

“I am romantic,” Prompto cried back, continuing his protest by nuzzling his forehead against Noctis’s neck. 

“Today is fine.” Noctis smiled gently at Prompto, holding him closer with his free hand. “I’m happy you suggested it. I had the same day in mind, if I’m honest, for the same reason. Who know’s what’s going to happen, right?”

Prompto felt himself suffocating from Noctis’s praises. He nodded once in agreement.

And thus, they freed the rings from their expensive container, slipped them onto their fingers and hugged each other tightly, Prompto’s squealing into Noctis’s ear being nothing but pure joy and happiness.

“It’s half-official now, Prompto.” Noctis spoke with closed eyes, his breath warm on Prompto’s neck. 

“Our scandal is near.” Prompto nodded with a grin, easing Noctis into short laughter.

“Let’s go share this scandalous news with the rest.” Noctis grinned rather impishly, taking hold of Prompto’s hand and guiding him out.

The feelings in the palace were mixed when Noctis and Prompto announced their engagement with bright smiles on their faces. Everyone was celebrating and happy, but some faces had a hint of worry in them despite the smiles and congratulations. However, nothing but praises were said out loud and the nation was made aware of the engagement as quickly as possible, too, for the best political and PR-campaign. Noctis and Prompto were showered with a small banquette and presents and cards here and there right after the engagement – and despite the worried looks in people’s eyes, everyone seemed anxious to deliver their congratulations in a physical form into the crown prince’s and his partner’s hands.

PR-department got hasty with delivering the news of Prompto's MT origins but Noctis and Prompto didn't dare to listen what the nation said about it. For a day or two, they just wanted to exist in their small bubble.

 

A few days after Noctis’s engagement with Prompto was officially announced and thus marked as approved by the monarchy, devastating news started to spread from outside Lucis borders. Galahd, Lucis’s long time ally, raised a sudden embargo on Insomnia, refusing to trade anything with the monarchy if they threatened the safety of Galahd itself with a gay couple and an MT as Lucian rulers. The Old Alliance, which Cor warned about, was getting restless, and riots happened in the Insomnian streets as they defended the honor of the monarchy and old traditions, which clearly – from their point of a view – condemned a same sex marriage for the crown heir. Like Noctis had feared, they accused him of killing the bloodline of Lucis, completely ignoring the will and rules of the Astrals from this question. The group defending the Astrals was at The Old Alliance’s throat, showing their full support for the Young Prince Noctis, but it did little to warm Noctis’s heart. The nation was shocked to find out Prompto’s identity and Prompto seemed to be extremely aware of it; he hid himself after the first news of the people resisting the idea of an MT ruler next to Noctis, broke down, accompanied with loud cries of doom.

Political debates and talks were held on TV almost non-stop after the engagement, warnings about MT’s lingered in the air with the fear of Niflheim coming to claim Prompto back and starting a war against Lucis, and the riots accompanied with the anger coming from Galahd’s side poured juicy and horrifying scoops for the public to read and for the palace to comment as politely as possible – thought most of them received only “no comment” replies from the palace’s PR. Noctis and Prompto were forbidden to go outside the palace until the storm had quieted down for their own safety, and while the engagement should have been a happy step towards their future together, both of their faces darkened whenever someone spotted either one of them wandering in the tall hallways of the palace. Together, they had happier faces on, and it was encouraged by the closest advisors that Noctis and Prompto should concentrate on enjoying their time together as much as possible. 

And then, it happened; the news Stella had warned Noctis about ever so silently. An official letter from Tenebrea arrived on Insomnia’s soil, landing on the table of Noctis’s room with a menacing message.

Sir Ravus, the commander of Tenebrean army under command of Niflheim, was furious at Noctis turning down his sister from the royal marriage and going for his “no-good gay friend” instead, like the letter let Noctis know between the lines. So furious, that he implied to be ready to fight for the Nox Fleuret’s honor, for his sister’s honor, if the royal line of Lucis Caelum and Prince Noctis personally wouldn’t take responsibility of this madness which was spreading over the lands, humiliating the Nox Fleuret’s bloodline so boldly, so openly, without even a wisp of an apology. 

Noctis was utterly devastated when he finished the letter, letting his hands drop down to his sides, fingers trembling.

“This… this could lead to war if we don’t handle this carefully,” he managed, his mouth dry, blinking. His head turned up to Ignis, who stood next to Noctis’s chair. “What should I do?”

“This is no joke, Noct. We need to show this to the king and figure out the best way to reply. While this is a personal letter from Ravus, you are correct in considering the possibility of a war between the nations. Tenebrae is operating half-independently from Niflheim with its own army, and I’m sure should Ravus wish it, he can garner support both from Niflheim and Galahd for his quest.” Ignis’s face was dark and serious, his lips pressing together into a tight line with a deep hum. “If Ravus gains more support from those who protest you and Prompto as well as those who fear MTs, this matter could easily spiral out of control…”

“But I don’t want any war!” Noctis cried out, helplessly. “I didn’t dump Luna, you know that! Ravus should know that, too!”

“I’m afraid that what Stella had heard was very spot on. Ravus is a man of pride and will not see such dishonor towards his sister with a kind heart. Any disrespect towards Luna is to Ravus himself as well. Bloodlines and sibling relationships can be very tangled and difficult, I’m afraid.”

Noctis’s eyes cast down to his lap, where the letter laid heavily on his legs. He didn’t understand what it meant to have a sibling or how sibling relationships were supposed to work, but he had to admit he did – in some way – see Ravus’s point. Yet, he was still confused.

“…I can’t tell if Ravus is doing this for Luna or for himself.”

“Could be both,” Ignis remarked casually, turning his head to look out the window. “This news must stay inside these walls. We can’t scare the citizens or the people, Noct. Should there be rumors of a possible war in the air among the people, the riots would gain ground and grow stronger. There’s only so much we can do to soothe them when they’re worried for their futures and lives.”

“I intend to protect my people. They will have my word,” Noctis hissed between his teeth, fists clenching. 

“Whether they believe it or not, that’s another story.” Gladio walked in the room. “Sorry, couldn’t help but eavesdrop a bit. I saw Iggy hurrying here so I thought it was something urgent. Looks like I was right.”

Noctis watched how the deep line running across Gladio’s face deepened when he stopped next to Noctis, his nose wrinkling.

“The MT matter itself is messing with the minds of the people already and the air outside the city is tense. Put that with the fact that no heir will be born from a gay marriage, breaking the old rules the people feel safe with… You can only imagine what might go through someone’s head. Especially since the engagement has been blessed by The King and the relationship overall is pleasing to the Astrals.” He kept a small pause, his brown eyes narrowing into two serious lines. “Should it come to a moment where you had to choose between the nation and Prompto—”

“I won’t let it go that far!” Noctis barked jumping up, cutting Gladio in mid-sentence. “Besides, I can’t choose something like that. I have to go with what Shiva has assigned to me. The people of Lucis must understand that!”

“Would you have gone with it if it wasn’t Prompto?” Gladio’s voice was unnaturally low, taking Noctis by surprise. He squinted at Gladio, eyes flaming.

“I would have done whatever Shiva asked me to do. You yourself have seen this whole journey, everything we’ve gone through for the Divine Mission. Out of everyone who would question me, I thought you wouldn’t,” Noctis spat bitterly.

“I think what Gladio means is---” Ignis put in, but Gladio didn’t let him continue. He scoffed through his nostrils, annoyed.

“The King has to do what The King has to do, and his priority is his people,” Gladio growled. “Don’t forget that, Noct.”

“The King must also follow the will of the Astrals,” Noctis puffed out his chest, trying to be intimidating. “That’s the law of Lucis.”

Gladio stared Noctis down without blinking an eye.

“I’m just saying that if it comes to a situation where you have to choose between your promise to the nation and Prompto, you can’t do what you want to as Noctis. You have to act as the next ruler of Lucis.”

“Are you questioning my devotion to the throne, to this bloodline?!” Noctis snapped suddenly, eyes filled with fire. “I have done all I could do to prevent anything bad happening because of this fucked up mission, fearing from the bottom of my heart I would throw the whole of fucking Lucis into chaos, no matter what I do! I don’t need your ‘high and mighty’ lectures on this matter, Gladio! You know very well where I stand!”

“Bickering between allies won’t help the matter!” Ignis put in, stepping in between Gladio and Noctis, calming them down before they’d be at each other’s throats. “We must concentrate on how to reply to Ravus’s… wounded pride in a civilized manner, like a King should.”

Ignis’s words seemed to reach Noctis whose shoulders dropped down. He took a step back from Gladio, who also relaxed. Noctis turned then to look at Ignis with a rather lost expression all over his face.

“I need to show this to dad.” Noctis sighed, waving the letter in his hand in the air. “While it’s sent to me, I can’t act by myself. I don’t have the power to operate above my father. He decides what we do and how we do it, though I’m sure we both will see there’s no need to wage a war over something the Gods have decided,” Noctis muttered tiredly, raking his free hand through his hair. “Prompto needs to know, too, but I don’t know how to tell him.”

“Just spit it out. He deserves to know it,” Gladio remarked, and somehow his voice sounded venomous in Noctis’s ears.

 

 


	26. Prompto and Shiva

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Prompto weights everything at hand in front of Shiva.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There was a long wait for this update, which I apologize. I went to England, got a cold as a souvenir and Rynn ran into so big difficulties that she had to step out from the proofreader's post. Thank you, Rynn, for your help so far! Shake-your-mane continues as a main proofreader and hopefully can see this fic till its end. If not, I will look for another proofreader. Let me know in the comments if you'd like to help, just in case something happens and I do need a new proofreader!

Prompto couldn’t sleep. He was staring at a sleeping Noctis’s face while resting next to him on his bed. The dark circles Prompto had used to see during their Divine Mission had returned under Noctis’s eyes, lurking quietly and getting heavier and heavier by each passing day. While Noctis did his best to act brave and cool, Prompto simply knew how heavy the pressure on him was.

Ravus wasn’t backing up. Galand wasn’t backing up. People were restless on the streets whilst at the same time the palace tried to negotiate with “butt-hurt Ravus”, like Noctis had spat it. It seemed that not even Luna was able to calm down her brother and as an act of hostility, Ravus had cut connections between Luna and Noctis. She wasn’t allowed to leave Absum nor contact Noctis, and there was no other way for Noctis to reach Luna either than hope his prayers to Shiva would reach her.

But, whatever Shiva might have spoken back to him, Noctis couldn’t hear it without the oracle.

He was getting both blinded by Ravus’s and his allies’ resistance against him, and deft without an oracle to guide him.

The air was more than tense inside the palace, feeling like someone would have invited Shiva’s very own Diamond Dust storm inside the building. No one dared to launch any counter measurement against Ravus, though Galand was somewhat handled by denying their permission to use sea lines belonging to Lucis. Everyone feared that Ravus could forge a bond with Galand – and that perhaps something like that was already in action behind their backs. In the worst case, Ravus would appeal to Niflheim for more military support – after all, Tenebrae belonged to Niflheim and Absum had a politically important part in Nilfheim’s territory. In a sense, Nilfheim had no reason not to reply to Ravus’s possible pleas, even though Stella had assured The Emperor was not keen in the idea of a war.

The more Prompto thought all this - this hot mess spinning around them-  with the knowledge he had as a mere commoner, the worse everything felt. Like a dead end corner without any escape at hand. He could only imagine what Noctis was going through now. No words could ever convey the true feelings and emotions, that much Prompto knew about his own past, so he hadn’t dared to really ask any details of these looming possibilities, which hung devastatingly in the air.

Though Prompto had promised to Noctis to talk about anything which would trouble his mind, his worry for Noctis wasn’t something Prompto wanted to voice to him. It would give only more troubles to Noctis, as he would start to balance between what the nation wanted and what kept Prompto happy. Prompto could tell Noctis was already starting to lose himself, directing his focus on everyone else but his own needs, and Prompto wanted to be the least person on this planet to help Noctis to forget himself. Thus, he kept his mouth shut and concentrated on consoling Noctis and act as balanced and steady as possible whilst the fear was immobilizing his legs and making his head hazy while he tried to read Ignis’s books.

Now, when he caressed a sleeping Noctis’s hair Prompto had only one question in his mind: how to help Noctis.

He had been pondering, his head empty, with how he could ease Noctis’s burdens. As long as the hot political situation and this debate caused by Shiva’s decision for Noctis to marry Prompto was on, nothing would change. That much Prompto knew. It was a stalemate situation, where every direction looked like a dead end with no happy outcome. One thing had popped into Prompto’s head as a solution to this problem the other day, when he had been going through historical records of Lucis Caelum’s bloodline as part of Ignis’s nobility training. It had struck him like a lightning from clear, blue sky, and he had almost fallen over with his chair. Prompto had, however, kept the idea within himself, never bringing it up to anyone, not even to Noctis. The more he mulled it over, the more it felt like the right thing. Like a possible solution, which would serve every single soul on this planet and prevent things from turning bad to utterly hellish.

He eyed gently sleeping Noctis’s face, thinking he saw a worry-carved frown on Noctis’s forehead even in his sleeping state. Prompto frowned himself, too.

He knew he had to do it. If there was a way to help Noctis, Prompto should take it. That’s what he mentally whispered to himself as he bent down to kiss Noctis’s top of a head, slipped out from the bed and dressed up quietly into his shirt and pants, both folded on the chair’s backrest.

He hadn’t stayed awake until this late at night for nothing. Hadn’t waited for the palace to quiet down so that he could easily make his way inside, no one really paying any attention to him even if they saw him, as he could always appeal to an excuse or a two for why he was up so late; thirst, hunger, need to go to fetch something he had forgotten in the study room or in Noctis’s room, little walk to ease the sore muscles Cor’s training was giving him, calming down an upset stomach… But he’d be the happiest if he didn’t encounter anyone – and he didn’t. Prompto managed to find his way quietly as a wandering restless soul in front of the palace church’s doors. He fumbled with his fingers, nervous, pondering if there was a way to open the door quietly. He sucked his stomach in and squeezed himself from the narrow opening he managed to creak open without too much of a noise, and slipped in like a ninja.

The church was serene and calm; completely unaffected by whatever was going on outside. Its doors had been opening and closing frequently lately, as everyone sought some peace of mind from its beautiful embrace; for a moment to forget any mortal worries during these unsure, unusual times.

And Prompto was no different from them.

With shaky legs, Prompto walked down the aisle and knelt near the altar in front of Shiva’s statue, which cast its serene eyes to look at the church’s high ceiling. Awkwardly, Prompto crossed his hands and bent his head down, taking a shaky breath.

“Here I am,” he said with a tiny voice, unsure if he was talking to Shiva or to himself. “I left Noctis to sleep because he was tired. I hope that it is alright with you and that you will still listen to me despite Noctis not being here with me,” Prompto explained with a tiny voice. Then his head shot up, eyes widening. “Ah, I mean, Dear Mighty Shiva who loves us all and who has granted Noctis with his throne, please hear me,“ Prompto hastily added, feeling awkward. He had no idea how to speak to Shiva or to any other Astral beings. He didn’t know any grand formal words like Noctis or Lunafreya did. He wasn’t even convinced that Shiva was hearing him in the first place, but despite his hesitation Prompto continued:

“I apologize if I’m troubling You,” he began with a dried mouth. “I’m sorry I came here without an oracle or any offerings – not that we’d had an oracle here in the first place... Anyway, I needed to speak with you. Kinda… kinda like in person; face to face,” Prompto said whilst looking at the statue’s calm face. He swallowed his uneasiness from his throat back to his stomach.

This wasn’t the first time Prompto had talked to Shiva. He had been praying silently in his head for weeks now, hoping Shiva would hear him. However, Shiva had remained silent, as always, and Prompto simply couldn’t keep up with her silence anymore. Thus, when he was now knelt on the cold floor in front of Shiva’s statue, his fingers entwined into an awkward prayer, Prompto hoped that Shiva would look upon him – and perhaps even answer him - and that he would have had some sort of a sixth sense to tell if Shiva was present or not.

“I… I didn’t come here for myself, but for Noctis,” Prompto hastily cleared his intentions, fearing Shiva wouldn’t listen to him otherwise.  Shiva’s statue simply stood quietly in all her might and glory in the dim church, the city’s lights casting their soft rays inside from the tall window screens. The statue seemingly didn’t care nor did it mind Prompto’s sudden nightly visit and Prompto hoped the same about Shiva herself.

“I uh… I honestly don’t know where I should start…” Prompto mumbled, his lips dry. “But I’m going to be honest with You. I mean… As a deity, You must already know what’s going on,” he reasoned, mostly for his own mind’s sake.

Despite promising to be honest with Shiva, Prompto realized it was a lot harder to put his thoughts into actual words than he had anticipated. It took him quite a while before his slightly trembling lips dared to speak.

“Noctis doesn’t deserve any of what he’s going through,” Prompto began with a quick gulp. “There’s so much hate, so much despite. You probably know this already for being a deity, but there’s a conflict going on, even when Noctis did fulfill his Divine Mission. The political atmosphere is tight and… Noctis really doesn’t deserve that. His family doesn’t deserve it. The King is getting weaker with worry and Ravus is doing his best with his allies to prevent our wedding from happening,” Prompto basically blabbered all out in one go.

He quieted for a while, pondering his thoughts. His lips pursed.

“The citizens aren’t happy either… This is a lot worse for Lucis than I anticipated, though I knew it would be hard. I just… didn’t expect it to be this hard… This hard for Noctis… I believed it would soothe his mind to get Your mission finished, but instead I see Noctis weakening. He’s always tired, always doing his best and he’s stretched himself a lot further than he can go.” Prompto’s voice stuttered.  A dark, heavy shadow of sadness covered Prompto’s blue eyes. “I can’t bear to see Noctis like that. Make it any other person and I’d be alright with it, but Noctis’s pain is more than I can take. I know You can’t take his pain away. I know You won’t deny the throne to him, as it is Your will which Noctis must follow as the heir of Lucis Caelum. I know you won’t stop the nations – perhaps you even can’t do that, as humans are stubborn and do as they please,” Prompto hissed, his voice bitter.

Divine intervention wasn’t going to happen. Prompto just knew it. He was, in secrecy, angry with Shiva for putting Noctis in a such bad place. It was unfair. So very unfair to Noctis. All Prompto had ever wanted was to see was Noctis being happy as the Lucis’s next king, with his Divine Partner at his side; smiling down from the altar right after the wedding vows had been given, ready to lead his people when the time for Regis’s retirement would arise.

And now, there Noctis was, in a screwed-up position. And there he, Prompto, was too; as a part of Noctis’s problem. Not the solution or the support he had wanted to be when he embarked on the Divine Misson journey with Noctis all those years ago. Prompto sobbed.

“It made me so happy,” he whimpered sadly. “So happy when I heard I was the partner. I had loved Noctis for so long already it hurt my heart. It was… Oh, it was the best day of my life when You blessed us and King Regis accepted me as his son-in-law. Yet I…I… I feel so horribly selfish. Especially when I am…”

He didn’t finish his sentence. Couldn’t do it.

It was awfully quiet in the church. Prompto’s shoulders trembled and he squeezed his teary eyes shut tighter and tighter; his crossed palms squeezing against each other in a frantic prayer. A tear rolled down on his freckled cheek silently.

“There’s only one thing I can ask. I ask this as Noctis’s partner, as the Queen of Lucis and Insomnia: Please, cancel this union,” Prompto cried with a hiss, his heart aching so much he felt like dying. “It’s all my fault and yet I can’t resign from the role of Noctis’s Queen myself, as that would cause only a bigger storm. I need your help with that,” Prompto wailed. “Everything that’s happening and is about to happen comes down to me. Any other person as Noct’s Queen wouldn’t have caused this. Even Stella would have been a much better choice.”

He cried and cried helplessly with short, shaky sobs, waiting for Shiva to answer.

But she didn’t.

“I beg of You, Your Holy Gracefulness! Noctis doesn’t deserve this!” Prompto yelled louder, his head shooting up to look Shiva with tear filled eyes, desperate. “I only want Noctis to be happy and healthy, to be a beloved king and rule for a long, long time. So please, un-sign me from Noctis! Give him someone else to be his Queen! He’s already been recognized as the next king by You, so if You remove me from his life it won’t change that fact.” Prompto’s eyes were blinded with more tears. His lips quivered. “I don’t ask to die or anything like that. I only ask that Noctis would get someone else as his Divine Partner. I can’t do anything else to prevent what’s happening from happening. I have no power to change the course where we’re heading if this goes on, but You do as Noctis’s personal Astral and as someone who has assigned me to him. I… I love Noctis. I love him so much I can’t…. I can’t do this to him…!” His voice broke into a frantic sobbing. “Please, I beg of You. Grant me this wish. This one, little wish, I and promise I will never ask anything from You or the other Astrals again. Please free Noctis from this burden. Make him forget me or fall in love with someone else, whatever would work so that Noctis can finally be happy and rest. I want only the best for Noctis and I… I’m not that with this role. I’m not the best for Noctis, not the best for anyone in Lucis as the Queen-to-be. I only bring suffering for everyone.”

Prompto couldn’t continue his frantic begging. His throat was tight and burning, and he couldn’t see anything with his tears. To underline to Shiva that he was dead serious with his wish – that this was his resolve he had been pondering for a long time – Prompto removed his engagement ring with shaky fingers and placed it in front of Shiva’s cold feet.

“I’m not worthy of this. I’m no one to make Noctis suffer so much,” he said once more, sitting on his knees in front of the statue and looking at its serene face with tear blinded eyes. “I… I shouldn’t do this, but… I’d do anything for Noctis. Even die for him. I love him so much it’s insane. No one wants to see their loved one suffering and no one definitely wants to be the one causing that,” Prompto whimpered, his hands shaking over his thighs. “If there’s a way for me to step down from the role of Noctis’s Divine Partner, I will take it, even though it will shatter my soul into millions of pieces. We can be friends but lovers, life partners, that we can’t be. Not when Noctis is who he is and when I am who I am. If I was a woman and just a normal human I---”

Prompto couldn’t muster his soul to finish his sentence. Instead he buried his face into his palms and cried heart-breakingly.

It hurts a lot more when you say it out loud, the thing which has been poisoning your mind; that you were born into the wrong gender for the Queen, into the wrong race - if MTs could be called one – for the Queen. That you were born into a role you couldn’t simply fill successfully.

“If only I was different…! If only I had never met with Noctis...!” Prompto cried hollowly with loud hiccups into his shaky palms.  “If I knew it would turn to this, I’d never have befriended him. Who am I to do this to Noct? Who am I to drive nations into war? Just for one person’s sake? That’s ridiculous!” he spat, now frustrated. “I’m no Saint Vagrant or The Virgin Tirulian… I’m only an MT guy, in the wrong place at the wrong time…”

Prompto paused to catch some breath, his hands shaking again. He tried to steady them, failing.

“I know you can’t change me but I don’t want Noctis to resign from the throne either, because that will cause just another war,” Prompto managed to say through his swallowed sobs, frantically letting his thoughts just spill out freely. “I’ve been thinking that if I just ran away, but then I… I will most likely die… I… I don’t want to die. If I ran away I’d be an easy target for Nifs. I don’t want to go back to Niflheim. Besides, me running away won’t solve anything; it will only make Noctis’s life worse...”

He removed his palms from his face with a hitched breath, wiping his wet eyes with his forearm.

“I promised to Noctis I’d have his back. I promised to protect him and look after him. That’s why I beg of you. I can’t do this alone. I need your help to save Noctis. I need you to save Noctis from me before it’s too late. Please... I’ve asked so many times already,” he begged once more, from the very bottom of his tiny heart.

Shiva, however, didn’t answer. The church was so quiet one could have heard a needle dropping on its marble floor.

Prompto sat on his knees for a good while, sobbing inconsolably. His head hurt and his chest felt heavy. He didn’t understand why Shiva was so cruel to Noctis, why she kept tormenting him endlessly, throwing one thing after another right at his face. How on Eos this all would benefit Noctis and Lucis, that Prompto failed to see, too.

Shiva was nothing but dead quiet, her serene upcasted gaze looking now like a gesture to mock Prompto for his silly ideas and pathetic squirming.

Prompto fell to the floor on his face, crying desperate against the cold floor’s surface.  

He should have known it: Shiva wouldn’t lend her ear to someone as meaningless as Prompto. There was no hope in the horizon. They were doomed to a war. Noctis would need to go there with Regis. Ignis would go there, so would Gladio. They probably wouldn’t let Prompto go because of the old traditions of not letting The Queen go into a war, and while Prompto was no queen, the old laws were applied to him due his role. Not that he would have been any use there; he’d probably die soon anyway.  He gritted his teeth, wailing.

The war would take him. Take Noctis. Noctis would…

“I need to protect Noctis,” Prompto gasped out once more his resolve with a broken whisper, emphasizing every word. He sobbed, rising on his fours and then teetered up with the help of his outstretched arm. His face felt cold yet his eyes had a burning feeling in them. He shivered.

Yet, the statue didn’t show any signs of Shiva’s presence.

Prompto stood a while in the church, trying to catch his wavering breath. His disappointment for not being heard by the Astral was painful.  Perhaps Shiva really did require an offering or an oracle’s help for speaking. He had had high hopes of being heard by Shiva, sooner or later, but nothing was happening.

With a sigh Prompto wiped his eyes dry, sniffling softly. He let out a dry short laugh, which sounded more like a muffled croak.

“I knew it,” he muttered with a strange grin, his head bend down. “There’s really nothing I can do for Noct… I’m utterly useless for him and this kingdom.” His voice was thin, barely audible.

He turned around on his heels, his head hanging low. There was no use to stay in the church anymore. Perhaps he’d try again some other night, with a proper offering. He needed to pry information from Ignis about suitable offerings for Shiva in his next lecture from Ignis – and make it so that neither Ignis nor anyone else would learn about why Prompto needed such information. If they caught him red handed for pleading a better life for Noctis, it would only burden Noctis’s mind. Noctis would definitely take it in a wrong way; that’s how Noctis was - so sweet and unsure of his role as Lucis’s next king. He’d probably think Prompto didn’t love him, while every single cell in Prompto’s body was etched with Noctis’s name.

Prompto swallowed down a muffled sob. He felt himself like an idiot.

Slowly he started to walk away from the Shiva statue, getting almost down the church’s doors when he remembered he had forgotten his ring. He couldn’t return back to Noctis without it. He should wear the ring; keep it around his left nameless, and give it away only if Shiva blessed him with his wish of Noctis gaining a more suitable partner. Heck, if Prompto was lucky, Noctis would fall in love with someone else on his own. He wasn’t into guys in the first place, so perhaps it wouldn’t be a too far-fetched idea for Noctis to lay his eyes on some lovely damsel.

That’s what Prompto thought and hoped for.

Hastily Prompto returned to his engagement ring, which laid at Shiva’s stony feet, and reached out for it. When his fingertips were just about to brush the shiny surface of the ring, a small squeaking sound echoing from behind his back distracted Prompto. He jumped around with a sharp gasp, startled, his hands drawing against his chest to protect himself from whatever or whoever had made that sound, catching him red-handed in the church at this ungodly hour of the day. His eyes met with two bright, dark, button eyes and green-tinted fur, long fox ears listening to Prompto curiously.

He knew that. Knew that creature.

“Ca—Carbuncle?” he swallowed, unable to believe that he was seeing one of the Astrals in flesh.

“Yes, I am,” the small canine creature squeaked, its words traveling inside Prompto’s head telepathically.

Prompto’s mouth opened as he stared Carbuncle in disbelief. He squeezed his palms against his chest tighter.

“Why… Why… Why such an honor?” he stuttered, honestly a bit scared. Carbuncle was none other but King Regis’s very own Astral and Prompto didn’t understand why he’d be here right now.

“I have been watching over Noctis ever since he was born,” Carbuncle said, sitting down and keeping its eyes on Prompto. “As the King Regis’s personal Astral it is my duty to look after his heir before the heir gains their own Astral at the age of 20.”

“Ah, I see,” Prompto muttered, dazed. He was about to ask why Carbuncle was here, now when Noctis was already under Shiva’s guidance, but Carbuncle spoke before him.

“The Astrals are very aware of Noctis’s situation and how it also affects you,” Carbuncle started, rising up and trotting closer to Prompto, who knelt down to his level. “The will of the Astrals is to serve humans and this servitude isn’t something which covers only this time frame, but stretches far further than you imagine. Even oracles have a challenging time grasping the full scope of the time where Astrals’ blessings are spread.”

Prompto wasn’t sure he understood everything, but he nodded at Carbuncle nevertheless.

“In a small frame, this makes little sense. In a wide frame, this all is logical,” Carbuncle beeped, looking Prompto directly with its dark eyes.

Prompto’s eyebrows knitted together, lips pursing.

“Are you saying that what Noct is going through is meaningless?” he asked, perhaps with a bit too stern of a voice.

Carbuncle didn’t even blink.

“Yes.”

“But that doesn’t make any sense!” Prompto cried, proving Carbuncle’s earlier point. “Seriously, I don’t understand all these Astral things and I do respect you, but… but Noctis is important to me. He’s safety and happiness are important to me. My friends are important to me…The war—”

“I know Noctis inside out,” Carbuncle cut Prompto off, cocking its head slightly. “I know what his role is in this web called humanity.”

“But this is all unfair!” Prompto kept insisting, not believing that he was arguing here with an Astral. “Noctis doesn’t deserve this! Lucis and Insomnia don’t deserve this! Well, the hell, I probably deserve all this suffering for what I am, but Noctis---!"

“—is fulfilling his role,” Carbuncle ended Prompto’s sentence for him. It jumped on Prompto’s shoulder, staring at him with an understanding, loving gaze. “You don’t see the things as we do, I understand that. Yet, every action creates consequences, and when we talk about the persons important for this web called humanity, the consequences are far and wide.”

Prompto’s stood up whilst having a hard time following Carbuncle, as its speeches made no sense in his ears. The frown on Prompto’s face deepened and he was sure his cheeks were now red from sheer irritation.

“I don’t understand how Noctis suffering like this serves his role or is even needed for his role – or for the humanity,” he muttered, miffed, thinking about the consequences Carbuncle had mentioned.

Carbuncle’s head cocked once more.

“It isn’t,” it said shortly.

“Well, maybe from your Godly point of a view this all is piece of cake and we all should just waltz with it – which I’d also hope to do - but from the human perspective this is a hell of a mess with no idea in it – all due respect,” Prompto hastily added to his irritated notion, in case he would anger an Astral, either Carbuncle or Shiva, who was probably also listening this conversation.

Carbuncle just looked at Prompto, unaffected by his words. Its nose trembled.

“And your resolve to all that is to resign from you position as Noctis’s partner?”

Prompto blushed, but his lips pressed into a narrow line. A shadow darkened his eyes, his chin dropping.

“…Yes…” he hissed, thinking there was no point in trying to hide it; most likely, Carbuncle already knew it with its Divine Vision.

Carbuncle sat silently on Prompto’s shoulder.

“Regardless of Noctis’s will or the consequences?” it finally asked.

Prompto’s chin dropped only lower toward his chest. He heaved.

“…There cannot be anything worse than what’s coming if we continue this,” he half-sniffed, not being sure was he feeling sadness or bitterness in his heart. “Unless you magically change these Astral fates, but I have a feeling you won’t do that.”

“We can’t change what has been forged,” Carbuncle beeped and its nose trembled even more.

“Then help me to understand what’s going on! Help me to help Noctis!” Prompto cried, desperate, his head shooting to Carbuncle’s side. “Help me to find a way to solve this, to help Noctis, to avoid him getting killed in a battlefield over something as mundane as this! Help me to help him!”

“You have no power to decide for Noctis,” Carbuncle said with a steady tone.

“What does that mean?!” Prompto whined in a frustration, tears now jamming in the corners of his eyes. The longer he spoke with Carbuncle, the more he started to think this was going nowhere and the whole conversation had been meaningless since the beginning.

Before Carbuncle answered Prompto, the church’s door opened. Prompto stared with shock at how Noctis walked in, dressed in black suit pants and a white, half-buttoned shirt whith its sleeves rolled up. He panicked.

“Noct…” he began when Noctis was halfway to the altar, to get a chance to hastily come up with an excuse as to why he was here and why Carbuncle was with him, but Noctis walked to the altar, ignoring Prompto. He stared at Noctis kneeling down on his knees, hands coming together and head pressing down into a prayer. Prompto opened his mouth to call Noctis again, but Carbuncle jumped down from his shoulder and stepped in front of him.

“Noctis can’t hear you now,” it beeped, its eyes keenly on Prompto.

Immediately all the blood escaped from Prompto’s face. The panic which he had tried to settle rushed over him with the power of a hurricane. He gasped, stepping a half-step back, his expression shocked.

“Oh no, no!” he yelped, his hands rising up to his temples. “This can’t be one of those moments! Don’t tell me I have slipped into the Astrals’ side once again and it has been another two years or more already!”

“No, no, that’s not the case. Be at ease,” Carbuncle walked closer to Prompto, its eyes glimmering. “I’m showing you something; look.”

As its head turned to Noctis, Prompto’s eyes lifted up from Carbuncle’s tiny body to the praying Noctis. He was sweating.

“Dear Mother to Us all, The Beloved Sister of mine,” Noctis murmured out a prayer. “I ask you to forever gaze lovingly at Prompto, with as deep devotion as I look upon The One who You have blessed me with. The road here hasn’t been easy and the paths unfolding before me look darker than the Insomnia’s eternal nights, yet I wouldn’t change a thing. I apologize for my stubbornness, and thank You for Your Motherly Patience, which You have cradled me with like my very own mother.”

Prompto swallowed. He couldn’t move.

Noctis head rose up with a faint smile; a forlorn gaze glimmering in his eyes.

“I do not understand yet what this path You have given me fully is, yet I have devoted my soul not only for my people or for my throne or for You, but also for Prompto. Day by day my gratitude for my Divine Mission grows stronger, yet at times I have difficulties bringing it out properly in these troubling times. While I question myself and my hand, which will rule the lands, I do my best to trust your decisions, even when I would fail to see their meaning, for The Oracle has constantly reminded me about Your loving, supportive ways which will serve all the Lucis – just like I need to do, too.”

Noctis took a pause, taking a deep breath, and fixed his crossed hands into a tighter position.

“As the troubling clouds gather up in the horizon, I ask your Merciful Hand to lay over Prompto; to keep him safe, for he is the sun of Insomnia for me. I don’t want its light to dim, for it is the light which lightens me the brightest during the times when the shadows of my fate have arched over me heavier than I dare to admit. Please, for the token of your Eternal Love.”

He reached for his pocket, taking out something which looked like an Oracle coin, and kissed it, rising then up to his feet to place the offering on the altar. Then he stood up, went past Prompto to Shiva’s statue and bowed at it once.

Prompto was following the scene with a tight lump in his throat, crying silently with big tears dropping on his feet. He tried to touch Noctis, but his fingertips just brushed through Noctis’s shoulder. He didn’t notice anything but walked out from the church.

“Noctis,” Prompto whimpered sadly when the church doors closed heavily, his emotions packed overwhelmingly into his heart.

“Noctis’s resolve is steady,” Carbuncle turned around on its paws to look up at teary Prompto. “Your heart isn’t weak with it either, for I know how deep your wish for Noctis’s safety runs.”

Prompto couldn’t say anything to Carbuncle’s notion. He wiped his eyes with the back of his arm.

“Noctis has come here to pray, mostly for you, for a long time. A long time before you arrived here from your trip to the Other Side,” Carbuncle spoke softly. “You cannot decide where Noctis lays his heart. That is his decision only.”

“I can’t but you can,” Prompto tried once more his initial idea to get Noctis fall in love with someone else. “Or a political marriage with someone else---”

“Would you wish such a fate for Noctis?” Carbuncle’s eyes twitched.

Prompto took a shaky inhale, ashamed.

“…No”.

“Prompto Lucis Argentum,” Carbuncle called Prompto with a name, which sounded absolutely right in Prompto’s ears and reminded him just how much he loved Noctis and wanted to marry him. “Are you resisting the Fate of the Astrals given to Lucis?”

Prompto wasn’t exactly sure what Carbuncle meant by that. He quickly weighed the question rationally as him versus the Astrals, and shook his head; his eyes casting down to his feet with remaining tears glimmering in them.

“No. I do not dare,” he whispered, suddenly remembering what Stella had said during her visitation.

“Good.” Carbuncle nodded, sounding pleased, and jumped in the air, up to Prompto’s eye level, startling him with a bright light shooting out from its horn. It was getting brighter and brighter and soon Prompto had to cover his eyes with his arm, gasping at how much the light hurt his eyes even when they were shut.

 

There was a strange sensation in his body when Prompto finally opened his eyes. He noticed being back in Noctis’s bed. Jumping quickly to sit up with a scared gasp, a panicked thought rang inside of his head:

This had to be doing of Carbuncle – if Prompto hadn’t been dreaming it all. Right now, it felt so very real that Prompto doubted any dreams being involved.  
  
Then a second thought jolted Prompto’s whole body. While meeting with Carbuncle felt definitely real, it was likely he had been found on the church floor earlier this morning, and what if it had been Noctis? What if Noctis had found him when he had arrived to pray for Shiva! Immediately a mental image of a worried Noctis grew in Prompto’s mind. He gritted his teeth, groaning, and threw his arms in the air.

“Oh man, Noct must be so worried! Probably pissed, too!” Prompto babbled to himself, hissing when his legs tingled annoyingly as he moved himself to rise up. His legs were half asleep and Prompto had no other option than let his legs hang over the bed and wait for them to get back to normal. Sitting on the bed’s edge, cursing his rotten luck, Prompto’s eyes caught his left hand. It had no ring on it. Seeing his engagement ring gone carved a hollow sensation under Prompto’s chest, though he knew it had been his decision to let go of it. Now, when Shiva wasn’t willing to fulfill his wish based on what Carbuncle had told Prompto between the lines, Prompto had to come up with a very, very, very good explanation for Noctis and the others for why he had no ring on and why he had collapsed in the church.

He had collapsed in the church, right? Or fallen asleep?

Prompto couldn’t remember which one it was.

”Must be my lucky day…” he mumbled with a beaten tone, somehow already sensing that Noctis wouldn’t swallow his lies. On the other hand, Prompto wasn’t sure he even could lie to Noctis if Noctis confronted him with a disappointed, angry face, as much as he wanted to lie. He couldn’t lie nor did he want to break Noctis’s heart by telling the truth either. He swallowed.

“…For fuck’s sake….” Prompto cried with a pained hiss, pressing his forehead against his hands. “I have screwed things up big time. Way to go, champ. If you’d kept the ring on, the upcoming mess would have been avoided at least on some level, but to show up to Noct without your ring… Nice one, Prompto. Nice one.”

He lifted his disappointed gaze up to his wooden night stand, realizing just now that the soft nightstand light was on. The table was otherwise empty, though Prompto had secretly hoped to see his ring on it. He assumed in the back of his head that either Noctis or Ignis had the ring. Prompto didn’t know which one of them was the worse option as his ring bearer.

When his legs had regained their normal functioning, Prompto pushed himself up from his bed, teetering a bit. As soon as he got up, a chill ran through his spine, all the way from the lower back up to his neck, escaping out from the top of his head. His senses got alerted and for a moment Prompto feared this was again some trick of Shiva and he wasn’t actually in Insomnia palace. Pinching himself, Prompto assured his frightened mind that all was well; that this was indeed the reality. He could see well, smell well, feel well and the room definitely felt as real as it could ever be. Besides, Carbuncle had promised meeting him wasn’t a slip to the Astral’s side. To underline that his fears were utterly useless rampaging in his mind, Prompto went for the window and pushed the heavy velvet curtain to a side with a small huff. The city looked like it always did, all dark, and this time of the year, also rainy. But something in the way the clouds over Insomnia looked felt unnerving to Prompto. It was like they would have oozed something unwanted or unseen, something they were able to see from their higher perspective, looming over the whole of Insomnia and further than that.

Prompto closed the curtain hastily, a lot quicker than he had opened it.

“My mind’s playing tricks on me,” he stuttered, scared, and turned away from the window. A chill ran through his body once more, and this time Prompto had to rub his bare arms. Somehow, the chills reminded Prompto of the Gravija collar, and he pondered if Gravija Bombs existed. And if so, could they appear randomly similar to Holy Bombs? Maybe one Gravija Bomb was lurking just behind his doors or near his window, making all the hair on his arms stand up? Perhaps the clouds over Insomnia were some strange Gravija clouds or some other strange elemental beings?

Prompto felt himself even more scared now than earlier. He dashed out from his room with a small shriek, deciding that no matter how difficult facing Noctis was, right now he wanted to squeeze himself against Noctis’s safe side. He’d figure out something to explain his missing ring with later.

The palace was rather busy but the air was somehow heavy and worried. When the nearest servant spotted Prompto in the same hallway which lead to Noctis’s room, she dashed away yelling that Sir Argentum was awake before Prompto could even say hi to her. Seeing her rushing so quickly away made Prompto feel guilty for such trouble and when a few other servants appeared hastily to check up on Prompto, his guilt just deepened in his stomach.

“Mr. Argentum, Sir Argentum!” a woman a lot shorter than Prompto was bustling around him. “How are you feeling?”

“Fine, fine, all’s fine,” Prompto tried with a polite smile. “I’m sorry if I have caused some trouble…” he added unsurely.

To Prompto’s surprise, Gladio with Ignis on his heels was rushing towards him, but to Prompto’s disappointment, Noctis wasn’t with them. He swallowed his disappointment down and put a smile on his lips.

“Hey guys, where’s Noc---” Prompto opened his mouth to a cheerful greeting, hoping not to look too much like a guilty puppy with his awkward grin, but to his shock Gladio’s wide palm grabbed his collar, slamming him back against the wall. Air rushed out from Prompto’s lungs from the impact and he gasped, scared.

“What have you done?!” Gladio roared with an enraged expression, almost spitting on Prompto’s face with the force of his words. Prompto just looked at Gladio with scared eyes, mouth hanging open, his hands over Gladio’s wrist. The servants around them looked as scared as Prompto did.

“I don’t know what you mean…” he offered in all honesty, but Gladio’s furious frown just grew more menacing.

“Bullshit! I knew you’d cause something if I let you out of my sight and I was right!” he kept accusing Prompto for something, slamming him once more against the wall, sharper and shorter this time. Ignis was now standing between them two, trying to get Gladio to loosen his grip of Prompto.

“Gladiolus, this is not helpful!” Ignis tone was commanding, eyes sharp. He looked angrier than Prompto had ever seen him looking.

“Wait, wait, where’s Noct?” Prompto asked suddenly over Ignis and Gladio glaring at each other. A cold stone dropped down to Prompto’s stomach at the thought something had happened to Noctis.

Gladio’s head turned slowly, very slowly, to Prompto, his nose wrinkling.

“That’s a very valid question.” He stretched his words with a venomous hiss, making Prompto’s heart shatter into millions of pieces. He jerked himself free from Gladio’s hold, horrified.

“Is Noctis missing?!” he basically screamed. He breath hitched, the first sign of hyperventilation trying to creep its way into Prompto’s lungs.

Ignis’s hands landed on Prompto’s shoulders as he stepped between Gladio and Prompto. He took a calming look at panicking Prompto’s face.

“Calm down, Prompto. Noctis is not missing in that a way,” he assured Prompto with a brotherly tone, his hands rising to cup Prompto’s face to get his full attention. “Noctis is safe for now, but the time’s critical. We were hoping to get some help or information from you.”

“I… I don’t understand….” Prompto hiccupped when Ignis’s hands let go of him. ”I just went to pray to Shiva last night when Noctis was sleeping and met with Carbuncle, and now you say Noctis is sorta-kinda missing and in danger?”

Ignis and Gladio took a look at each other, Gladio’s frown still deep on his forehead. He stared at Prompto in a way which made Prompto feel like he was under the gaze of a predator. Yet Gladio huffed, snorting with an annoyed tone, and turned his back to Prompto, hands crossing.

“Forgive Gladio. He didn’t mean anything bad by it,” Ignis said, eyeing Prompto closely.

Prompto was shaking. He swallowed visible.

“I… Was I gone again? I mean, I met Carbuncle but he said I wouldn’t slip to the Astrals’ side like back then…” he whispered, afraid of Ignis’s answer. His legs trembled from knees.

“You have just been sleeping a little longer than usual. Doctors assumed it was stress related, sort of like a burn-out. Noctis has been worried for you. Very worried,” Ignis continued in his soft tone, but it had little help for Prompto, whose heart wrenched tightly.

He sniffled.

“I’m sorry… I screwed things up again.”

“Yeah, you really did, big time this time!” Gladio was back at his roaring, now facing Prompto, who tried to shrink away from Gladio’s menacing frame.

“Gladiolus!” Ignis stopped Gladio with a sharp yell, who just grunted and started to head away from the corridor with inaudible mumble, pushing past the shocked servants and leaving Prompto to tear up next to Ignis.

“It’s fine, Prompto. This is no one’s fault and I hardly believe it’s yours, unlike Gladio. Don’t mind him; Gladio’s just being cranky and worried,” Ignis soothed Prompto and offered him a tissue from his pocket. “Come on. Let’s get you into something warmer. The palace is rather chill now.”

It was just then that Prompto noticed the corridor did feel colder than it should have been. He pondered just how long he had slept – maybe it had been months due to the chill air -  but he didn’t dare to ask it from Ignis. Yet Ignis, as always, seemed to read Prompto’s thoughts. He smiled genuinely and assuredly to Prompto and stroked his hair.

“It’s fine, Prompto. It’s been only three weeks. A little longer nap, don’t you think?”

Prompto nodded but still didn’t understand how his ‘a little longer nap’ was related to Noctis being sorta-kinda missing and yet currently safe – at least for a while, if he had understood Ignis right. He didn’t dare to ask that out loud and this time, Ignis either did read his thoughts and decided not to speak about the matter yet, or didn’t catch that thought from Prompto’s mind.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know in the comments if you'd like to help with proofreading, just in case something happens and I do need a new proofreader!


	27. In Search of The Lost One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Lunafreya is furious and Prompto goes searching for Noctis.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your comments and support so far! I will reply each and one of them, as always :3
> 
> Shake-your-mane did again marvelous job as a proofreader - thank you for your help!

”I warned you about this, Ravus!”

Lunafreya’s dress hems swung back and forth as angrily and furiously as her hands did when she stormed into her brother’s office. Ravus was sitting in front of his map table, offering only a sour look at Lunafreya’s angry gaze.

“Please, Luna, I’m doing this for you,” he said casually, turning his head away nonchalantly to draw something on the corner of his map.

Lunafreya closed the distance between them and slapped the pencil away from Ravus’s hand with a sharp hit. Her eyes were flaming.

“You are destroying us all!” she declared with a shivering tone. “I warned you about what would happen if you went against Lucis’s bloodline with such malicious intent. Do you think the Gods would let you do this?”

“The fuck with the Gods!” Ravus yelled, bouncing up from his chair and slamming both of his hands on the table. He didn’t even blink when he sneered at Luna. “Like I would let some ancient beings the half of the people have lost their faith in dictate how I live my life. How I should let them to treat my sister and humiliate the name of Nox Fleuret. I thought it was bad when the Gods made you The Oracle and cut our ties to other family members, but to throw you away from the throne---!”

“That’s none of your business!” Lunafreya cut him off, matching his icy glare. “My fate is my responsibility only! You need to stay away from this, Ravus. You have to stop! I have already gotten visions where---”

“I’m not stopping!” Ravus was furious, his head pushing closer to Lunafreya. “You think I would let some MT bastard, a human-made freak meant to kill us all, rise to the throne of Lucis instead of you? You think I would let such a bastard not only humiliate us all, but spread his inner darkness in the Lucis? It should be you there, next to Noctis, leading the people. Not someone like him!”

“The Gods have chosen him for Noctis! The decision was made a long time ago, even before they were born!” Lunafreaya tried, her voice getting desperate.

“And you will waltz with the will of the Gods?” Ravus hissed, his voice full of poison.

Lunafreya’s hands trembled from anger.

“That is my mission as The Oracle and you know it. I can see what the Astrals see. I have seen horrible visions of the future if you continue this path, Ravus. You need to stop. I will stop you if no one else will,” she declared with a shivering voice.

“That I will not have!” Ravus roared, taking a hold of Lunafreya’s wrists. His eyes drilled deeply into Lunafreya’s soul. “Can’t you understand that I do this for the love for you? My intentions are all there to serve you.”

“No, that is a lie and you know it yourself! You’re leading the whole world into chaos! There will be worse things than a war on the horizon if you don’t stop – if I don’t stop you!”

“That’s it! That Lucis bastard has brainwashed your mind with the same God shit as the temples have!” Ravus’s suddenly said, pulling Lunafreya closer to his chest. “I will make sure you stay here, away from Noctis. Away from anyone who can hurt you. There will be no dawn for the Lucis’s with an heir’s partner made in a laboratory, and the fact there will be no new blood crown heir plays all too well into my hands. Just wait, my dear sister; I will get you on the throne. I will get you to bear a new heir to Lucis with the crown prince. I will get your promised position back.” He grinned, oddly, eyes shining.

“There was no promised position to begin with!” she tried once more, determined to get her words through her brother. “The political talk of the marriage had to be discussed because I wasn’t allowed to reveal Noctis’s Divine Mission’s details to anyone until the right time. You know how these things go. Why are you such a stubborn idiot, Ravus?”

Ravus’s eyes flamed at Lunafreya’s calling him names, but he said nothing. Only growled angrily. Lunafreya shot her face closer to Ravus, her eyes dead serious.

“You’re calling forth The Fallen King of Eos! You must stop! If The Fallen King rises, your little petty war will be nothing but sandbox play! We can’t let that happen! You know the old writings! I have told you everything I know about them, because you were the only one who supported me through my ascension to the role of an oracle. You know what’s going on!”

“I never said I’d put much value in old scribbles nor in the Gods who seem to have no interest in us. Where have they been when we have needed them? Why have they arranged something this ridiculous? If there’s a war coming, the people can turn to the Gods to blame them and the Gods can’t blame anyone else but themselves for it. They see what’s coming yet you claim they do as they wish; that they intentionally make decisions like these and arrange fates with such malicious possibilities as Caelum’s bloodline ending with a bastard ‘Queen’ with a dick hanging between his legs?”

Lunafreya trembled, unable to say anything. She couldn’t believe that Ravus wasn’t listening to her. She hissed, her teeth gritting.

“What’s gotten into you, Ravus? You have always supported me with everything. You have always been on my side and now---”

“I’m always on your side. I’m always supporting you, even when you wouldn’t understand to support yourself. I will fight for you; fight for your right to be the Queen like promised. The people will accept you over that bastard who dares to call himself the Lucis’s Queen. They will want The Real Queen. They will want an heir. They will want a secure future with good leaders and that’s what I’m arranging for all of us.” His voice was low and too gentle to match his cold eyes.

Lunafreya’s blood turned cold with a chill when Ravus let go of her and turned his back at her like nothing had ever happened. She stared at her brother, opening her lips to speak, but it was like Ravus had sensed this, as he spoke first.

“That story of The Fallen King is just a legend,” he snorted waving his hand, sounding almost bored. “The religious figures created it so that people would blindly follow what the Astrals tell them – or more precisely, what the religion tells people. That’s nothing else but a ghost story to scare people to stay in their places.”

“That’s a lie!” Lunafreya tried once more, circling on the opposite side of the table where Ravus was once more looking at his map. “It’s true that not all information from the Astrals can’t be given to people for it would cause panic and misunderstanding, but The Fallen King is a real threat!”

“Says who?” Ravus didn’t even look at Lunafreya.

Lunafreya bit her lip, angry. She turned on her heels hastily, heading to the door. Ravus’s cleared his throat.

“There’s no use, Luna. I have already ordered everyone to keep you safe here and to not have any contact with Insomnia. That place is now our enemy and everyone in there must be handled as a possible threat; even the precious crown heir.”

“Noctis wouldn’t do it, he wouldn’t choose a war!” Lunafreya gasped.

“He signed his nation’s doom on the day when he announced that bastard as his Queen over you,” Ravus’s spat venomously, his eyes narrowing at the map. “The Astrals have looked down upon Nox Fleuret for too long. They break apart our family, separate you from your dear Stella for all eternity, and now they deny the throne which belongs to us. I won’t have it. Their toying with us ends now. We humans will show the Astrals who are the real leaders here. Too long we have followed them blindly…”

Lunafreya was dead silent, only staring at Ravus with disbelief written all over her face. Ravus tapped his pen against the table and scribbled yet again something on the corner of the map.

“If you are so worried about that Fallen King thing, go pray to your Gods to save us all from Him,” he grinned, humored, but then his face fell. “If they know what’s upon us – a full war between nations when the man takes his right to lead himself from the hands of the Gods – they sure want to secure their places in the man’s heart, yes?”

“Yes, I will pray to them!” she answered back with a bark. “I will pray that The Gods will open your blinded eyes, Ravus, until it’s too late; until The Fallen King is here digging your eye sockets empty so that you will remember for the rest of your life not to turn a blind eye to the will of the Gods.”

With that, Lunafreya left Ravus alone, her chest aching from the craziness which was reflected from her brother’s eyes when he had stared at her.

She knew she was trapped. She had no idea who to turn to in this matter. Sooner or later the news of Ravus’s plans would reach Noctis, but right now she should get the message to him quick.

She needed someone to speak for her for Noctis… Someone to warn Insomnia.

 

 ------------------------------------------

 

“A letter for your Highness!”

Stella lowered her elegant tea cup that she had been about to lift to her lips when a hasty-looking servant interrupted her at the rooftop garden.

“Thank you,” she simply said, accepting the letter and dismissing the servant.

It was from someone she hadn’t anticipated.

She’d know that handwriting anywhere.

A faint yet sly smile spread on Stella’s lips as she opened the letter and scanned quickly what it was all about.

“Things are getting interesting, are they not, for Their Lucis’s Future Highness,” she murmured with the smile staying on her face.

 

\-----------------------------------------------

 

The wind tossing and yanking Prompto’s hair felt too cold for the season. Sniveling his running nose, Prompto turned to Ignis, who was driving the Regalia on an empty, sandy road, giving him a sad look.

“Can we close the roof now?”

“Not yet,” Ignis’s reply was sharp, his eyes narrow. “There are gloves in the glove compartment. They might be a bit too big but that’s all I have for now. I’m sorry, I should have packed some.”

“No, no, it’s fine.” Prompto sniveled once more and reached for the compartment, fishing out a pair of gloves which looked like they belonged to Gladio or Cor, judging from their size. He pulled them on. “We had a hasty leave so it’s not your fault.”

They had gotten a message this morning that Iris and Cor had found some promising tracks. Gladio had been somewhat near them, informing Ignis that he’d head to Iris and Cor immediately. They all five would catch up each other from there. It had been weeks and weeks from Prompto waking up – he really couldn’t remember the exact time – and everything seemed to go from bad to worse the longer he stayed awake.

He shrunk deeper into the shotgun seat, rubbing his legs to get them warmer. He was happy the winter jacket Ignis had gotten him from somewhere was on him now, as he had first protested Ignis’s suggestion, saying he didn’t need it.

“The air is getting chiller…” Ignis noted, as though reading Prompto’s thoughts. “That is a good sign. When it gets hotter, we’re even nearer.”

“I can’t believe Iris and Cor actually found something,” Prompto muttered, looking at the grey horizon, which looked menacing, like from a horror book. The air felt gloomy and sad, and Prompto couldn’t help but wonder if nature was crying, getting ready for a disaster.

“The clues have been sparse and that’s very unfortunate for us, so this hint is the most welcoming thing.” Ignis’s lips pursed. “However, with you on board now, we might have better chances with them.”

“…You still think so?” Prompto took a sad look at Ignis, smirking from the corner of his mouth like apologizing for how useless he had been.

“Absolutely. You’re our best shot.”

The chill air got heavier around them and soon the first drops of sleet started to drop down on them, gluing against the windows and their clothes. Quickly, Ignis pulled the roof over Regalia, frowning.

“The Gods are toying with us…” he muttered, his hands squeezing the wheel tighter.

Prompto only hummed with a nod, watching how the icy cold sleet started to get heavier around them, falling on the ground and making the land look all grey and murky, wet and uninviting. He shivered.

“The Lucis’s are helping people in the alliance with Galland but if the year continues like this, there will be hunger in the men’s stomachs next year…” Ignis spoke, his tone serious. Prompto could see where he was coming from.

“Yeah. The storages last only for so little in the end…” he agreed with Ignis. “However, it’s going to be winter soon anyway…”

“It never snows in this part of the Eos,” Ignis reminded Prompto. “Even with the winter, this kind of a weather is disastrous. We have to stop it.”

Prompto stared in front of him, his eyes nailed on an invisible spot.

“…You think this is Shiva’s doings?”

“She’s involved,” Ignis replied very shortly, and Prompto got an impression he didn’t want to say anything more about it; didn’t want to accuse Shiva more with open words in fear of something worse yet to come. Prompto couldn’t blame him, though; he wasn’t that keen to go against Astrals either.

Yet, he couldn’t help the feeling that maybe he was guilty of this all. Maybe what he had told Shiva about wanting to resign from his position was the cause of this. Perhaps she was mad at him – at least Gladio was, or had been. Prompto had never seen Gladio so angry or felt himself so tiny in front of him. He wasn’t sure had Gladio forgiven him yet.

Prompto had been honest with Ignis and Gladio, telling them with sobs and a tight throat what he had tried to accomplish for Noctis’s sake, right after he had awoken. It had pained him more than he had imagined, to tell it all out loud to someone, but he had sucked it all up and let it flow out, ashamed and determined at the same time. Everyone else had listened to him peacefully, except Gladio, who had – from Prompto’s assumption – kept himself in check only to not cause any more commotion. Cor had also been informed of all that was going on and Prompto had soon learned why.

Cor was leading the team trying to locate Noctis.  
  
The Prince Charmless had run away from the palace one evening, muttering something under his breath, around a week after Prompto had been found in the church.

Ignis had blamed himself for it the most; he had been there at Noctis’s side when he had spent countless of hours at Prompto’s bedside – and in the bed, next to him – lamenting his inability to keep Prompto safe or finish his mission properly. He had lamented and wailed sadly how whatever he did, it ended up just being wrong, and how everything would be better if there were no one opposing them. He had been asking Ignis why the people couldn’t just follow Shiva’s will like he did, as it would solve everything, and he had been utterly scared Prompto wouldn’t want to marry him. Noctis had been suspecting that perhaps Prompto tried to keep him safe, but Noctis, as the future king, needed to protect Prompto more than Prompto needed to protect him. It was his duty, not only to his partner but also to his nation.

Ignis hadn’t seen anything unusual in Noctis back then, and ever since Noctis disappeared on his own, Ignis had blamed himself for not taking Noctis’s broken heart and vow to protect Prompto more seriously.

He had even gone as far as officially apologizing to Prompto because he couldn’t keep Noctis safe, his head bowed down into a rigid, formal bow.

Prompto had hastily declined the apology with fiery cheeks.

He didn’t deserve it.

Hunters’ HQ’s red flag caught Prompto’s attention, bringing him to the present from his memories. It was tossing and turning like a snake in the hard wind, and when Ignis parked the Regalia under stony arched pillars, Prompto had a hard time pushing the door open from the wind. Iris was on the nearby terrace, waving her hand at Ignis and Prompto. They rushed through the wind to Iris and inside the warm wooden cabin, where Gladio and Cor awaited. Cor stood up to greet Prompto with a firm handshake; they hadn’t met since Prompto had cried out what he had done in the church to Cor’s ears.

“Good that you could make it,” he said to Prompto, gesturing him further in when Prompto had undressed from his warm jacket and beanie. “Iris, you probably want to tell them what we found?”

“If I may, yes,” Iris said, gathering everyone around a small table, where she had spread a map. She pointed at it, tapping its old, wrinkly surface with her finger. “I found some tracks here and here. They were a few days old, so we’re getting closer.”

“And there hasn’t been any strange jumping lately either,” Gladio added, his arms crossed. “Tracking an Astral without an oracle is rather hard, especially when the time and place won’t affect them like they affect us.”

Prompto squinted at the map, rubbing his nose. This was the closest they have gotten with this hunt, where their target seemed to aimlessly jump here and there.

“And no casualties?” Ignis asked from Cor.

“Not lately. Latest was a massacre in one of the Ravus’s bases two weeks ago. It seems he’s got a clear target, or so we assume with the current information we have, but you all know this already.”

Prompto paled but didn’t dare to say anything. He gulped.

“We better find him soon then…” he mumbled under his breath.

“I vote the same. There have been enough casualties already and every nation is getting more and more restless,” Gladio grunted, his eyes narrow as two lines.

Cor’s attention turned to the map.

“Niflheim sent us a message today telling us that they are ready to aid us in the search, if we need their help. This will put some pressure on Ravus, too, but I don’t know if it’s enough to stop him.”

“Is it Stella’s doings?” Prompto’s head shot up to Cor, who just shrugged rather nonchalantly.

“Perhaps. Perhaps not. What it means is that Niflheim is realizing that this matter will affect them and that they are one of the targets, if we can’t handle this quickly enough. I’m sure The Emperor isn’t willing to let his nation fall into panic and chaos, but wants to keep the borders closed from any menace coming outside of Niflheim.”

“Except this menace can’t be closed down or shut out with borders or walls…” Ignis muttered.

“We were thinking of accepting their help, if the negotiations go well and they have no hidden agendas,” Gladio took a thoughtful look at Ignis, as though asking his permission. “We’re waiting for the king’s reply.”

“Assumingly we will be working together with Niflheim with this. It would be a welcomed act between these nations harboring so much ill between them,” Gladio continued his murmur. “However, that still leaves us Ravus, who is still too blind to see what’s going on. My worst fear is that as soon as Ravus really grasps the situation’s bigger picture, it will only add more fuel to his hatred.”

“We haven’t been able to reach Lunafreya, either.” Iris looked sad.

“Lunafreya is most likely safe. We know she’s the reason for Ravus’s mindless actions.” Ignis pointed out, earning a thoughtful hum from Iris.

Prompto kept listening the conversation, his eyes fixated on the point on the map Iris had tapped. It wasn’t that far away from their current location, but with this weather there was no going there now. They’d need chocobos for half of the way at least. They were staying behind while their target advanced further. Prompto bit his lip, eyes narrowing.

“They took the warmth from the air, and the longer we wait, the colder the climate gets.” Prompto heard Gladio speaking, mostly to him, but Prompto didn’t react to it. Just stared at the map.

“And they scorch those who get too close,” Ignis added with a deep mutter.

“We need to get Prompto there soon. That’s our best shot,” Gladio said.

“I… I’ll do my best,” Prompto promised out loud, without knowing what he should actually do to stop this.

“Where is he heading to?” Ignis asked, scanning the map. Cor was inspecting the map over his shoulder. Iris hung over the map, closer to the points she had tapped and circled one area with her finger.

“We don’t know for sure. For the last weeks, he’s been wandering aimlessly. It’s possible he’s not under the Astral’s control that much yet and he’s resisting its connection, or that his mind is disoriented, causing his movements to be unpredictable. It’d be the best if we caught him before the Dark Ones get him deeper into their control,” Iris replied to Gladio, looking very concerned. Her eyes drifted to Prompto.

“Whatever the case is, we need to act fast, because his tracks can get cold in the blink of an eye. We will wait for this storm to pass and then make haste to the hotspot,” Cor suggested. Everyone agreed with him.

“I’m starting to think Shiva herself is against us… Every time we get close, something like this happens, which hinders us down,” Gladio noted sourly, his eyes fixated on the heavy sleet raining on the outside. The wet white mass had already covered areas which weren’t hidden under the cover of the stone arches.

“We have asked all the oracles to pray to Shiva, just in case. It’s hard to tell without Noctis here. Shiva doesn’t want to talk with anyone but Noctis for some reason,” Ignis said.

“I’m sorry… This has to be my fault…” Prompto swallowed, uneasy. Gladio’s head shot sharply to him, but he said nothing despite the look which would have killed Prompto if it was possible.

“It’s not that your intentions were malicious,” Ignis began with a slow tone, thinking. “We should have collared him again, done it by force if nothing else. He refused so many times saying he was fine, but…”

“...I’m sorry…” Prompto whimpered once more. Iris’s hand landed on his shoulder softly.

“How do we proceed from this?” she asked for Prompto, who had pressed his chin down and hidden his face from their views.

Ignis straightened his back and adjusted his glasses.

“Well, a proper purification is needed,” he said. “When it comes to politics, I don’t know. Everything is at the hands of Shiva I’m afraid.”

“Perhaps this is the will of Shiva; a reminder what happens if Her will is not followed. We concentrated on bickering between humans and ignored the ones who provide us all this; The Gods.” Cor said dryly.

A sting of guilt shot into Prompto’s heart, but he refused to wobble under its mercy. He just wiped his eyes with his sleeve and pushed his shoulders back, sniffling.

“I agree with Cor. I wanted to help the matter. Find out how I could save Noct from a miserable future. I’m sorry…”

“Your position is perhaps the hardest one of us all, so don’t blame yourself. We’re dealing with a broken heart and a soul wanting to protect what’s dear to it; add there the will of an Astral – well, two Astrals now - and we have a very unusual situation in our hands.” Cor’s attention was now on Prompto, his gaze landing almost paternally on Prompto. “Though, we should have seen this coming. I forgot the whole lore of The Fallen King without The Oracle here. It is not my main concern to remember the lore of the Gods.”

For a moment, it looked like Cor had a guilty expression on his face, but it vanished as soon as it had flashed there. Iris pressed herself against Prompto’s side, snaking her arm around his waist and gave him a small shake.

“Trust me. I’m one of the best deamon trackers in Lucis nowadays. I will track Noctis down in no time, even if he’s disappeared before the storm is over.”

Iris’s words warmed Prompto’s heart and he smiled somewhat weakly at her. He had promised to help them out, but to be honest, Prompto didn’t know if could he stop all this.

Stop Noctis and the herd of Cerberuses – The Astrals of the Fallen Man, The Dark Ones -  which he roamed with in his war against anyone who threatened Prompto. Stop the pack of The Fallen King and get Noctis back, until he doomed the whole of Eos.

He squeezed his hands into fists, his engagement ring on his left finger reminding Prompto that he had someone he needed to look after with all he had.

And this time, he would do the right decision, even when it scared him senseless.

 


	28. Hunt For The Fallen King

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Prompto and the rest try to locate Fallen Noctis.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update yay! As you can see, my writing pace has slowed down a lot as I have more things requiring my attention now, but the fic is far from abandoned. We're nearing the end and I assume there will be 3-6 more chapters to come, depending how many I need to bring this story to its end.
> 
> I'm happy so many of you are still reading and commenting this fic! I never expected it to become this long or this popular.  
> All your support is precious to me!
> 
> Proofreading: Shake-Your-Mane

“I talked with Noctis more than once about your future with him,” Ignis said with a casual, somewhat sad tone, over his late evening tea. The campfire’s warm light cast heavy shadows on Ignis’s face as he opened his mouth again. “I recall him saying that he didn’t want to put you through all the hate nor give you a role similar to the Queen on a chessboard, ready to serve her King. He feared all the public humiliation and accusations which would be directed at you after the nation learned that you are his assigned Divine Partner.”

Prompto listened Ignis quietly, half-way taking a sip from his own tea mug. His hand lowered down from his lips.

“I see,” he muttered forlornly.

“Noctis asked me many times how he could demand something like that from you. That’s how much he loves you, Prompto.” Ignis’s head turned to Prompto’s side.

Prompto’s chest and throat tightened at Ignis’s words, but he hid it from Ignis, remaining quiet.

“Noctis also knew the kingdom wouldn’t let a half-deamon – no offense, dear Prompto – get too close to the Lucis throne. We did get resistance, as anticipated, but the loudest resistance actually came from Ravus’s direction, not inside the nation as Noctis feared.”

Prompto shifted in his seat uncomfortably.

“And I made it worse with my own actions,” Prompto muttered with a displeased frown. “Everything draws to me, no matter how you look at this; The Divine Mission, the restlessness in nations, Noctis’s darkening and now this, the rise of The Fallen King of Eos.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself.” Ignis offered a compassionate pat on Prompto’s knee, but Prompto’s eyes got only more sorrowful.

“To think that our friendship would lead to this… To think that my wish to be Noctis’s friend back in the days of elementary school would lead to a threat of war and to the possibility of the whole of Eos getting swallowed into chaos… I… I stained Noctis… I didn’t mean to…”

“I wouldn’t put blame on anyone for this,” Ignis said, his lips tightening. “The will of an Astral is a law to Lucis, but fear in people runs deeper these days than the belief in the Astrals. Not to mention Ravus must have felt that way for a long time for him to dare to act against them this openly.”

“I wonder how he feels now? Ravus, I mean.” Prompto looked up at the darkened sky, where the smoke from the campfire whirled slowly.

Ignis shifted in his seat, humming from his throat.

“The intelligent man he is, he must have realized that his plans have backfired on him, but his pride will not let him admit that out loud. I fear he is indeed ready to fight to the bitter end. We must find Noctis before he does.”

 Prompto’s gaze hardened.

“I fear the same,” he gulped down, his throat suddenly all dry. “While I have no idea how you battle an Astral and someone like Noctis now, I have this sickening feeling that Ravus will find some way to do that. Whether it’s a weapon or magick or something he squeezes out from Luna--”. Prompto fell into a silence, unable to finish his sentence.

Ignis stared at Prompto’s side, his eyes worried behind his glasses.

“Let us pray that Shiva and the rest of the loving Astrals are favorable to us in this hunt.”

“And that we figure out Noctis’s location soon and find a way to stop him.” Prompto added, earning a determined nod from Ignis.

The tracks Iris had found the day earlier had been already dead cold when they had gotten on the scene. It disheartened Prompto to think they had been so close, yet Noctis had – again – somehow slipped between their fingers. He sourly wondered if the Astral named Cerberus was the reason for it; did he intentionally guide Noctis further away from them? Maybe it sensed the same thing Prompto did; that if he was to meet with Noctis, Noctis would snap out of it to see his lover back in a good health. Or that was what Prompto hoped he could do. He knew everyone else expected of him the same, but no one had ever figured out a bullet-proof way to stop Noctis with Prompto’s help.

They had walked all day in the snow and bright daylight, trying to track down Noctis after his newest disappearance. They had been forced to stop in the afternoon when the sun went down – way earlier than usual this time of the year, in this part of Eos. Gladio had grunted with utter disgust in his voice how Noctis had chosen the worst part in Eos to be hunted in, and Prompto had had to silently agree with him. It would have been a lot easier to find Noctis somewhere warmer, friendlier and where the sun was actually on their side. Pickle-Tickle in Prompto’s back bag was all covered with snow; it’s head peeking out from one opening in the top of the bag. He had taken the toy with him, feeling that it would somehow ease his nerves if he did. Frans had been left behind, on Noctis’s bed, because he was way too big to fit in the bag.

Gladio’s head peeked out from the tent they had pitched up for this night. His expression was sour.

“The forecast says there will be a blizzard tomorrow. I suggest we sleep here this night and then head back to the town,” Gladio muttered, squeezing himself out from the tent. The zipper behind him was quickly pulled up by Iris to keep the tent warm.

Prompto’s face fell and Ignis’s couldn’t help his small groan either.

“It will be all in vain if we return,” Ignis mumbled, whilst Prompto just leaned his head against his hands, defeated.

Gladio crossed his arms over his chest, snorting.

“There’s no way we can continue. We have to wait for another opportunity. If luck is finally on our side, Noctis will head somewhere other than this God’s forsaken Shiva’s ass crack.”

Prompto listened to Gladio with his lips pressed tightly together.

“Do Iris or Cor have any ideas where that place might be?” he finally asked after mulling over possible locations silently in his head.

Gladio shrugged, his arm still crossed.

“Their guesses are as good as ours,” he grunted. “It hasn’t been long enough to figure out any certain pattern in Noctis’s moves. Yet, if you ask me, he’s most likely moving towards the North. He never reappears too far from his last location.”

“Is that also Iris’s opinion?” Ignis asked, earning a rather miffed look from Gladio.

“You trust her more than me.” He scoffed. “Iris agreed with Cor when he suggested Noctis is probably heading North-East or East. My gut says North.”

“Wherever he is or goes to, I need to find him soon.” Prompto huffed through his tight lips, looking very determined and serious. Gladio’s attention turned to him; his face was all sour.

“I vote the same,” he simply said, turning on his heels and heading back into the tent without any other words to spare to Prompto. It hurt Prompto’s chest, but Ignis smiled at him in a brotherly way.

“Forgive him. Gladio is still upset he wasn’t able to protect Noctis or you. He takes his work very seriously.”

Prompto did believe that Gladio was blaming himself for Noctis’s turmoil and the panic the kingdom was at now, but he wasn’t so sure that Gladio wasn’t still upset with him. It gave Prompto only a further, deeper feeling of need to prove himself to Gladio and the kingdom; that he was Noctis’s partner and would do anything to keep Noctis safe – even if he had failed at the first attempt.

“…What do you think about, Ignis? Where Noctis is heading to? And why?” Prompto turned his head to Ignis, hoping Ignis’s words would change the depressive record playing in his head to something calmer before he headed to bed.

Ignis remained silent for a long time, gazing at the dark night sky. Stars weren’t welcomed in the sky now ruled by Noctis, as the skies stayed clouded every night.

“To be honest, I haven’t much any idea…” he sighed sadly. “I should know Noctis better than anyone else, yet with this, I’m clueless. I put my trust fully in Iris, Gladio and Cor.”

Ignis’s reply didn’t soothe Prompto, but he didn’t let it show from his face. Instead of a frown he smirked, trying to be lighthearted.

“All-knowing Ignis is at least once clueless,” he joked, earning a chuckle from Ignis – his eyes lightened.

“You are right with that, Prompto.”

 

 

 

 

The air was getting heavier each hour with the dust flying around, tossed here and there by strong gusts of wind. The jeep the Hunter HQ had lent to Cor made its way steadily forward in the black soot-like air, window wipers going back and forth with a screeching sound as Cor cursed the road’s condition.

“It’s been snowing this strange, black matter the entire day.” Iris sighed from the backseat. Prompto, on her left, looked out from the window with a frown.

“At least it means we’re getting closer. Your calculations were right, Iris.”

“I’m happy Noctis followed the route I anticipated but you never know when he disappears again…” Iris sighed once more, leaning her head against her palm. “At least we’re not surrounded by snow anymore, though I don’t know if this black matter’s any better…”

“Anything’s better than snow and cold,” Gladio murmured from the shotgun seat, peering in front of them with squinted eyes. “I’m afraid that if this rain doesn’t stop, we can’t rent chocobos.”

“Then we go on foot,” Cor simply stated, his hands tightly around the wheel as he tried to keep the jeep steady.

“We should be able to drive rather near the location Iris marked on the map, if the road hasn’t ‘snowed’ closed.” Ignis was looking at their folded map, following their route with his index finger. “It’s hard to tell where the soot cloud is coming from, and if we are ahead of it or running after it. If it’s been faster than us, then there’s only so much we can do with the car. For the rest we must rely on our legs like Saint Vagrant did.”

“I feel sorry for the people living here,” Prompto mumbled, beaten, taking a look at Ignis and Iris. “The crops will be completely damaged if we can’t stop Noctis. Who knows what this odd snowing really is and how it will affect the lands. We’re talking about people’s lives here…”

Gladio took a look at Prompto via the rear mirror.

“That will be a heavy damage on people’s everyday life and will also cause a big bill for Insomnia if the palace wants to compensate the possible losses. Famine is not a welcomed quest…”

“The last thing we need right now is to get angry, hungry people at our throats,” Cor agreed with a grunt.

“Not to mention if Noctis spreads his curses to Niflheim’s areas…” Ignis noted with a weary tone, afraid to put their thoughts into a proper form. Everyone in the car fell into a silence, which no one dared to break.

The car pulled to a halt after a few hours of driving. The black substance had piled up around them, covering everything in nature under its murky softness. Prompto pulled his beanie further onto his head, shivering. There was a strange coldness in the air and he suspected that Noctis wasn’t nearby anymore. If he was, the air would be warm from the flames spat by Cerberuses.

“Looks like we really have to continue by foot,” Iris informed everyone, tucking her map back into her breast pocket. “If my calculations are right and Noctis is heading where I think he is, it’s better if we go there silently. Let’s stay close to each other.”

“Our goal is to get Noctis to notice Prompto so that hopefully Prompto can wake Noctis up from his menacing trance,” Cor reminded everyone, his eyes keenly on Prompto’s face. “We’ll cover your back, Prompto, but don’t go doing anything stupid, you hear me? Losing you means we’ll never get Noctis back.”

“I will do my best,” Prompto promised, swallowing in secrecy an uneasy tightness down to his stomach.

He followed behind Cor, Ignis and Gladio, Iris walking at the end of the group and watching Prompto’s back. Prompto couldn’t shake away the feeling that he should save Noctis once and for all, and if he failed, Noctis would just ran away again – or worse, like Cor had hinted. When the options ranged from more destruction to the possibility of Noctis becoming permanently The Fallen King of Eos without any salvation, it would have been an underestimation to say Prompto was so scared he had to force his legs to move forward. It wasn’t only his legs which shivered with unpleasant feelings, but his heart ached, too, yearning and missing Noctis, vowing to get his loved one back home. He prayed silently that Shiva would aid his heart in this quest. Oh, he prayed so much, all the way up the nearby mountain hill – an old crater of an ancient meteor impact. By the time they stopped, Prompto was so out of breath from frantic battle against his fears and the internal praying that his breath wheezed.

Gladio and Cor gave him a worrisome look, but Prompto shook his hand quickly, trying to stand straight.

“It’s fine, all fine. This soot is just irritating my lungs,” he offered, not really lying about it.

“I hate to hurry you, but we can’t wait. You all must have noticed the air is getting hotter. Noctis is near,” Cor muttered, gesturing for Iris to give the map to him. “He’s a bit further away than we thought, but his pace has slowed down significantly in the last few days.”

“We should head west.” Iris was peering down the map with Cor. “That’s my hunch.”

“I agree with your hunch.” Cor folded the map, squinting at the horizon at the west. “Not to mention the sky looks ominous over there. That’s definitely our clue.”

“We better hurry before Noctis gets too far,” Ignis said, getting nods from everyone around him.

Prompto eyed Ignis from the corner of his eye, hoping that Ignis wouldn’t notice his stare as he walked close by him. Despite the poker face Ignis had put on himself for Noctis’s sake, Prompto could tell he was very, very worried for Noctis. Probably worried for his own position, too, as Prompto knew Ignis had given a royal vow to protect Noctis. Looking down at his feet while walking at the end of the group, a tight sadness enveloped Prompto.

Ignis had given so much for Noctis. So much for the whole of Lucis Caelum’s bloodline.

And now, it was unsure if there would even be any royal line anymore after what Noctis had done. After what he had become.

Where would that put Ignis? Or Gladio? Where would it put Prompto or Cor or the King Regis himself? Where did it place the nation and the inhabitants of Lucis’s kingdom? How would it affect Nilfheim and other neighboring regions? How would things affect Lunafreya?

Prompto had too many things going in circles in his head. He could only hope to get a small glimpse of understanding for just how big of a thunderstorm tormented Ignis inside of him.

“Ah damn!” Gladio’s sharp call jolted Prompto up from his trance. He shot his head up to see how the eerily colored sky was back to normal grey, and everyone in front of him had stopped.

“Oh no!” Iris cried, rushing next to Gladio. “He’s gone again! He jumped!”

Ignis’s eyes sharpened and he rushed next to Iris.

“Are you sure?!” he demanded, with an unnaturally stern voice. Iris nodded, distressed.

“Look at the sky. It’s back to normal. Noctis is not here anymore. Either he keeps changing the places however he pleases, for whatever reason, or The Cerberus pack knows we’re after Noctis.”

“What do those damn dogs even gain from this!” Ignis fumed.

“They can’t arise on Eos’s ground without The Fallen King. I fear they’d do anything to keep Noctis under their control; to keep this situation serving them,” Gladio grunted, clearly disappointed by this setback.

Prompto held down his tears, swallowing them deep, deep down into his stomach.

“It… It’s fine,” he whispered, gaining everyone’s attention. “We’ve got Eos’s best daemon hunter here with us. We’ve got Cor, too. All intel and resources of the palace. We can find Noctis. He must stop at some point. I’d assume such warping from one place to another can’t do any good to Noctis’s body.” He didn’t go further with his worry of how this all would affect Noctis.

Gladio’s eyes narrowed at Prompto.

“I agree. As frustrating as this is, we need to plan our next move. Let’s contact our contacts to see where Noctis is heading this time. He should still be in Lucis, as his most precious thing is here, too.”

Prompto couldn’t help a little blush at how Gladio’s words trailed off slowly at the end of his sentence. He cleared his throat.

“Noctis is not stupid. He wouldn’t do anything to harm me. He’d---” Prompto was about to continue, when Ignis’s phone rang suddenly. Everyone’s head turned in unison to Ignis as he fumbled to find his phone from the multiple pockets of his winter outfit.

“It’s Stella...!” Ignis breathed out, shocked.

“The Iron Fist?” Cor asked with a cocked eyebrow. “What the hell does she want from us?”

“Hello, Your Highness?” Ignis answered the phone with a bit of a wary voice. “I apologize if you can’t hear me well, but I’m at a place with low receptivity. My apologies.”

A silence fell around the group as Ignis listened to what Stella had to say, replying to her shortly every now and then. When the short call was over, Ignis took a look at Cor.

“It seems The Iron Fist Stella might have come up with a way to catch Noctis. She can’t meet us officially, but we can make the meeting unofficial somewhere.”

“Did she say where this place might be or where she is right now?” Cor’s eyes narrowed.

“The safest place would a distant camping spot. No one’s expecting to find a high-class figure there,” Ignis offered. His suggestion got nothing but agreeing nods – especially now when Noctis was nowhere to be found anymore.

 

 

 

It didn’t take long for Stella to arrive at the chosen remote spot with one of the Nilfheim’s flying machines. Ignis hurried to welcome Stella, the snow whirling around in the air as the machine dropped Stella off and went away, just to return back when Stella would be ready to leave.

“Your Imperial Highness,” Ignis offered his hand at Stella, but she declined it with a smile.

Prompto noticed how Stella’s eyes immediately drew to him when she arrived at the camp site with Ignis. He offered her a bit of an awkward bow, but didn’t know what he should have said. What he even could have said for what Noctis had done so far?

“I’m glad You All could see me this quickly,” Stella turned her attention to the whole group, not minding about Prompto. “The time isn’t on our side and I would not want to welcome The Fallen King in my Father’s imperial lands.”

“We are not hoping for that, either, Your Imperial Highness,” Cor spoke with a short bow, his hand over his chest, but yet again, Stella declined the gesture with a wave of her hand.

“We’re facing a common enemy and Niflheim is at fault in this as much as Lucis is with their rampaging Prince. Formalities may wait for formal halls of kings and emperors.”

Stella sat down in one of the multiple free chairs, as everyone had risen up to give Stella a seat. She smiled softly at Gladio and sat next to Prompto, her head turning to him slowly.

“I see Their Royal Highness’s Beloved One is in good health. Their heart must be strong in these dark times, knowing how the staining of The Fallen King can easily reach Their Beloved One, for their history is a darker one than mere Lucian’s,” she spoke with a warm tone.

Prompto paled a bit, stuttering with his words.

“I… I have been better if I’m honest, Your Imperial Highness.”

“We… We really hadn’t thought about that…” Gladio muttered, concerned. “As corrupted as Noctis is, it is possible the Cerberus could affect Prompto, too. They’re both in daemon origins.”

To be honest, Prompto hadn’t thought about that either. It made his spine tingle with a chill sensation.

“I was thinking that in a worst-case scenario, we wouldn’t have only The Fallen King at our backs, but also His Darkened Beloved One. It seems The Beloved One is especially resistant to darker forces, but The Fallen King marching with Cerberuses isn’t a simple daemon. His power is absolute, but not at its peak yet,” Stella said, crossing her legs. “I have been in contact with Lunafreya. Her idiot brother is dooming not only himself but two nations with his stupid, childish rampage. I have requested my Father to take him down from his position, but Father sees Sir Ravus as someone who could stop the rampaging King – especially with the help of Lunafreya. It may seem that whilst we do not put much value in the Gods and Goddesses, My Father is slowly starting to fear that mere human power in a form of arms and weapons might not be enough to stop The Darkened King.”

“It seems Lunafreya’s hands are tied in this. We haven’t been able to talk with the Astrals, as Shiva refuses to speak with anyone other than Lunafreya,” Cor muttered.

“My Dear Cousin has spoken to the Ice Goddess. She remains silent and Lunafreya fears that human kind might have angered her by resisting the Fate She has bestowed upon Lucis and their blood heir. Right now, Lunafreya is doing her best to calm down both The Icy Queen and The Roaring Multiplying Mutt – and also that idiot brother of Hers.”

“I knew we could trust her, but I had no idea the situation was this dire….” Ignis’ brows had knitted deeply together. “We must stop Noctis soon. The sooner the better. I take that Your visit might bring us some good news, Your Highness?”

Stella smirked at the corner of her rosy lips.

“My Father is afraid of the Gods and Goddesses. He is easy to speak around, as long as it has nothing to do with that idiot Ravus. For Ravus, My Father has placed too much hope; his heart can’t be altered so that He would see what Ravus is actually doing. Yet, in His fear, My Father has agreed that Lucis and Niflheim should co-operate with this common threat and make it so that The Fallen King does not reach Niflheim. He has already sent enough of our men to The Fallen Lands from Lucis’s ground.”

“But this can’t be done openly?” Cor filled in, his tone calm. Stella nodded.

“I don’t understand the details or why the old senile men think this operation couldn’t be done openly, but whatever. As long as we try to stop The Fallen King, I’m ready to lend my hand to Lucis. After all, My Most Beloved Cousin is Lucian and I have taken liking in Their Young Royal Highness and Their Beloved One – not to mention I am not interested in seeing what other malice will rise from resisting the will of The Gods and The Goddesses.”

“I take Your Highness’s words as that a plan has already been made,” Ignis’s words drifted out slowly and curiously.

“Yes. We have more advanced technology than Lucis. It is possible to capture even an Astral-level being, especially when Cerberus is a deamon-based deity and we, unfortunately, have our own fair share of experience and knowledge regarding daemons,” Stella replied to Ignis’s curious comment.

“Capturing Noctis is not easy. He keeps changing places at random…” Iris finally spoke, looking concerned.

“Unless we know where Their Royal Corrupted Highness will head to,” Stella smiled. Her head turned slowly to Prompto, who seemed to shrink under Stella’s tender yet determined gaze. “Their Royal Highness is indeed corrupted, but not doomed from salvation, as the bond between him and Their Beloved One has been forged in the heavens – far beyond the grip of the Daemon Kingdom. We will use that as our advantage.”

“…I think I know what that means…” Prompto swallowed, intimidated.

“To lure Noctis out with Prompto? We have tried to get Prompto to Noctis, but he disappears again and again. I’m sure he must he aware of Prompto already, but the grip of Cerberus is too heavy on him.” Gladio’s lips pursed, hands crossing over his chest.

“Trust me in this, Their Royal Guardian,” Stella assured Gladio, her smile never disappearing. “As long as the daemon doesn’t reach Their heart, Their Corrupted Highness will heed the call of Their Beloved One – if it’s distressing enough…”


	29. Please catch up with me again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which things try to fall in the right places

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HERE IT FINALLY IS. The long waited chapter. Please see the end notes for more explanation, as I know you are eager to read this asap.

The icy cave was steaming with hot air, droplets of melting ice slowly dripping down on the ground. In the cave’s hot darkness, a figure had curled over its knees, surrounded by heavier dark figures. They twisted and turned, opening and closing their fang-filled mouths restlessly, as though speaking without words, demanding to know their next destination. 

But the figure in the middle of them stayed quiet, its hatred-filled flaming golden eyes staring sternly forward. 

“My Liege, we must go,” the dark, gigantic dog god growled, and its minions agreed with howls and whimpers. “We must continue our quest to devour all those who threaten you.”

“…I can hear it,” the figure whispered, unmoving. “I can hear His cries.”

“My Liege, can’t you hear the cries of those who oppose you?” the Cerberus tried, almost smirking.

“Their voices don’t carry the same way His does…” the man grunted, suddenly standing up. His fingers balled into fists. “I’m going. He’s calling me.”

“My Liege…!” the Astral tried once more, seemingly not happy about this choice.

“You can hear it, too. Don’t lie to me. Whatever you hear or see, I hear and see, and the opposite. We’re one.”

The Cerberus twisted its neck, head tilting strangely to the left side. Its eyes narrowed.

“…Very well. We’ll go. We’ll follow The Fallen King, for He is our commander,” it finally replied, after pondering its options at hand.

“Good. We’ll go fetch Prompto. I can’t listen to his cries any more. They hurt me more than anything else,” Noctis said, starting to emerge from the dark, hot cave, his body dirty from soot and soil, from the dark breaths of  
Cerberus and his own darkened soul.

But a glimmer, a tiny spark, was flickering inside of him. Noctis could feel it. It had sparked there suddenly yesterday, and his immediate thought had been Prompto. He remembered why he had started this journey to begin with: to help Prompto. To keep him safe. To stand next to him.

Much else, Noctis couldn’t remember. The hatred boiled way too strong in his heart to remember what was going – nor did he care. His only goal was Prompto’s happiness, and if it meant killing someone, he’d do that.

Right now, he’d go and slaughter those who made Prompto cry. Those bastards, who made Prompto’s wails carry to him from a distant direction, silently yet so strong he couldn’t ignore them. 

And how could he ignore them? 

They were calls from his loved one.

 

 

………………………

Prompto was sniffling sadly whilst hanging from his hands and legs up near the ceiling of an abandoned army base, originally belonging to Niflheim. It was cold, and his wrists hurt, and his eyes were burning from all the tears he had forced out from himself. 

It was hard to cry on a command. But that’s what he had been ordered to do by Stella. To think about the most horrible things he could ever muster in his mind and then cry, cry as loudly as he was able, to get Noctis’s attention. He needed to believe that Prompto was in danger, and to increase Prompto’s distress, Stella had dragged him up to the ceiling in metal chains. “If your body hurts, it helps your mind to hurt.” She had smiled like she always did, commanding the capture mission to start whether Prompto wanted to hang in the chains or not.

Prompto had gathered together all his worst-case scenario pictures and what-ifs and let it all out. At first it had felt ridiculous, and Prompto had realized that he had always been really good at faking positive things, but to fake something negative? Not as easy as it sounded in a situation like this, where the world would fall into chaos if Noctis continued his rampage - not to mention how everyone pretty much hated the idea of the two of them being engaged. But Prompto had done his best to get himself extremely sad and miserable. 

And, when the gates had finally opened inside Prompto, he had found himself crying helplessly because of everything that had happened so far – and for everything that would happen. All the what-ifs felt too real and heavy; like they would pop up from the corner of reality any time now, ruining everything. Prompto had lamented his inability to protect Noctis, his heritage, his daemon genes, his own idiocy for not telling Noctis his feelings sooner. He was sad that Gladio was angry with him, sad that he had caused so much trouble for everyone. He almost stopped breathing when he thought how he was the reason for Noctis’s rampage and how this was all going to ruin Noctis’s future, Lucis’s future, his own future, Gladio’s future, Ignis’s future…

And suddenly, everything was too much for him to handle. For his tired body to keep inside.

So, he cried. 

So loud that after his voice finally toned down, after what felt like an eternity to Prompto, his body tired and completely drained, he felt himself embarrassed. Embarrassed, tired and snotty.

But Noctis was nowhere to be seen or heard. Prompto knew he had to cry more. A lot more.

So he did. Digging all the horrid feelings from the deepest core of his heart and mind, yelling a curse out here and a curse out there and he was sure he accidentally slipped a few curses at the Astrals, too.

But like Noctis, the Astrals didn’t reply either.

After some hours, when Prompto’s body and mind were simply way too tired to continue, Stella ordered him to be taken down. Ignis was there immediately, embracing Prompto when he was freed from his cold chains. Prompto’s head nodded forward and he looked ashamed.

“I’m sorry,” he whimpered, exhausted.

“Don’t be. We don’t know where Noctis is, so we might need to continue this for a while,” Ignis comforted Prompto, patting his back. “Can you stand?”

“Yeah.”

“I must apologize that Their Royal Highness Beloved One needs to go through this.” Stella was next to Ignis, her lips pressed together. She looked genuinely concerned. Prompto was too tired to look at her. His body trembled under Ignis’s arm.

“You sure that this works, Your Highness?” Gladio looked at Stella from underneath his knitted brows.

Stella’s head turned slowly to Gladio. She sighed, sad.

“This is the best shot we have. We---”

That was all she managed to utter, as the ceiling came crashing down with a huge force. It shook the whole building, throwing everyone down as they scrambled to get under whatever cover they could find. Gladio was shielding 

Stella with a few of her own guards. Ignis and Prompto had dashed in opposite direction, barely avoiding a big piece of the roof.

“What the hell!” Gladio yelled over the rumble of the falling roof, coughing.

In the middle of the rubble stood a gigantic black dog; its mouth fuming with a disgusting-smelling red mist. Gladio shielded his face with his bare arm from the foul stench.

“It’s Noctis!” Ignis yelled over the angry roar of Cerberus, trying to keep Prompto behind his back for safety. 

Everything happened way too fast. It was like straight from a nightmare that wasn’t supposed to happen. The Cerberus’s heads all swung suddenly in all three directions. Its first head launched towards Gladio and Stella, making  
Gladio jump to his feet to protect Stella with his sword. The left head swung towards Ignis and Prompto with a menacing growl, followed by an angrily growling Noctis and the middle head of the monstrous Astral. Black, oozing liquid cascaded down both from the Cerberus and Noctis.

“Noct!” Prompto called to Noctis, reaching for his weapons. “Don’t make me do this! I---!”

He didn’t have more time to say anything, as the angry head of Cerberus bit on his arm, disarming Prompto and taking both the gun and his arm with him. 

Prompto screamed, Ignis’s frantic call of his name matching the intensity of Prompto’s agony. 

With Prompto’s distressed scream, Noctis’s eyes flared up with a merciless yellow gleam and he roared. Roared like a wild beast, summoning daemons to accompany his rampage.

“We have lost him!” Stella yelled. “We have to kill him now!”

“No, No!” Prompto managed to yell, already only half-conscious from the shock. He had no time to rest, as Ignis pushed him aside, away from the next onslaught of Cerberus and the daemons. Prompto hit the floor face on, stumbling to his knees with a ragged breath. Horrible screams echoed from the back of him.

“No, Oh Shiva no!” Prompto stammered with a shivering voice, fighting against the darkness which tried to consume him completely. “This isn’t happening. This can’t end like this! We have to save Noct!”

He tried to stagger on his feet, his back turned at the main scene of the events – his ears too full of horrible agonizing screams for Prompto to dare to look behind him – but he felt a sudden pressure on his back. It crashed into him, pushing him down on the ground with a loud smash, daemon fangs sinking into his shoulder as the monster – summoned by Noctis – bit him with all its might.

It hurt. Hurt like hell.

Prompto knew he was going to die.

He didn’t want to die.

“NOCTIS!” he cried from the bottom of his lungs, his voice breaking apart into a yell of pain when the beast bit him again, harder this time.

He couldn’t hear anyone else. Not Ignis, not Gladio, not Stella. 

Not even Noctis anymore.

He didn’t know what had happened to them.

“This can’t… end… like this…” Prompto struggled against the dizziness, trying to get up underneath the huge daemon. But it was all in vain.

He didn’t know what had happened to Noctis. What had made everything turn so bad.

“I… I love you, Noct…” he breathed out, tears in his eyes. 

How it was possible for things to go so bad, so suddenly, so quickly…

He just… wanted to… be with Noctis… as his Divine Partner… Just wanted to do what Shiva had promised to them.

The Astrals were… in the end… assholes.

That was Prompto’s last thought before he fell into the dark pit of unconsciousness, his body limp and lifeless.

Then, as suddenly as the slaughtering had started, it was silent. Everything stopped in its tracks in the blink of an eye. Like someone had pressed a still-button and had been a moment too late to capture the right moment. Blood and bodies were already scattered everywhere, with a rampaging Noctis with his army of daemons and Cerberus at his side. All frozen in their spots, in the middle of the onslaught. 

Then a light. A white, piercing light which shot through the broken ceiling. It opened the darkness and pushed away its heaviness. Cerberus let out a loud whining cry, its body convulsing under the bright light. Fallen Noctis shielded his eyes with his hand from the light, but it was too bright, too powerful. He fell to the ground on his knees, protesting loudly. The louder he protested, the brighter and wider the light became, finally pushing the angrily growling, completely possessed Noctis onto his stomach on the bloody floor.

“Oh, what a misfortune which has struck You. What a misfortune which has fallen over the mankind of Lucis,” a female voice echoed sadly around Noctis. He was unable to hear anything from his own blinding rage.  
“What an unfortunate turn the mankind has taken, lead by one sorrowful heart and masses of unfair cries.” The voice was more audible now.

The tiny patter of paws also became audible. 

Carbuncle’s bright, dark-colored eyes scanned the scene, it’s nose trembling. It stopped near Gladio’s fallen body.

“What an unfortunate thing! We never thought things would go this badly,” it beeped sadly. Then its attention turned to Noctis, whose face was twisted into an inhuman sneer. His whole body was covered with a mixture of blood and demonic black liquid. 

Carbuncle’s nose trembled faster.

“I have failed my mission as the Guardian,” it said, looking sadly at Noctis.

“He is not your concern anymore,” a soft voice replied. Carbuncle turned around and frowned.

“I feel like he is. It wasn’t that long when he still was under my watchful eye, and as his father’s Personal Astral, I can’t help the sensation of utter failure on my own part.”

Shiva’s radiant face greeted Carbuncle back with a most gentle smile.

“He’s my responsibility. I have been far too demanding and strict with him, it seems.”

“…Should we have stepped in earlier?” Carbuncle hesitated, nervous. “Though knowing The Highest, they wouldn’t have agreed with it.”

“Yes, They wouldn’t have. But this time, seeing where the humans are going without their guidance – especially when The New King of Lucis is a special one, with the possibility of a such monstrous act – I feel Their acceptance will be granted. After all, if this is left as it is, it will eventually affect the whole Eos. The Highest knows this.”

“…You have spoken with Them,” Carbuncle said, moving its ears to Shiva’s words. Carbuncle watched how Shiva slid elegantly to frozen Noctis’s side. Her hand rose to caress Noctis’s smeared cheek. His face twisted into a primal growl.

“I have.”

“Then I must apologize for not allowing you to come here faster.” Carbuncle trotted to Shiva’s feet. “I was sure things would turn out better, for I know Noctis so well. I was wrong. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I understood your reasoning and decided to follow your wishes. After all, we weren’t supposed to step into this more than what the Astral traditions set by humans and us Astrals in a liaison determine. Yet, as time has passed by, humans have forgotten part of our promises and agreements. Such is the length of a human memory; so very short compared to ours.”

Carbuncle listened Shiva carefully, its ear shivering, but it said nothing. It made its way waringly to Noctis’s side, looking up at his prior object of protection with concern. 

“Maybe we should have warned King Regis of the possibility of his son’s ability to darken like this…” Carbuncle pondered out loud, turning to look over its shoulder in Shiva’s direction. 

“King Regis knew his son was somehow special. He could feel it. I know you know this, too, as his Astral. Don’t lament anything, dear Carbuncle. Blaming yourself for what happened is not fruitful.”

“I can see all possibilities: The ones that happened and the ones that will happen, the ones which could have happened and the ones which will never happen,” Carbuncle peeped, looking almost hurt. “I feel guilty. But I also feel bound by The Highest.”

“Feel no longer, for we are allowed to help these humans.” Shiva smiled gently at Carbuncle, inviting it to jump on her outstretched arm and run onto her shoulder. “The Highests will have a major headache if these humans are wiped out, and with what’s going on, the destruction of all humankind is inevitable. Humans have suffered for a long time at the hands of the coming of The Fallen King, but for us Astrals, while pondering what we should do, only a time equivalent to a half-breath has happened.”

Again, Carbuncle listened carefully but replied with nothing to Shiva. Its dark eyes nailed on Noctis’s face. It looked nothing like the face of the boy Carbuncle knew so well. It was twisted, angry, demonic. Carbuncle’s gaze drifted to Prompto, who looked like he was dead. A demon had gotten the better of him and Carbuncle could tell the blood-covered Noctis would finish the business if they let the scene continue.

He had already taken good care of Ignis, Gladio and Stella, who lingered like Prompto at the end of their life’s string.

“Let’s begin,” Shiva said softly, bringing Carbuncle’s attention back to reality. 

Carbuncle ran to Shiva’s outstretched palms. She held Carbuncle away from her body, walking nearer to Noctis.

“We will clean the one who caused all this, the source of all evil,” Shiva said, stopping. “We will use the blessings from The Highest, a sacred permission to save the whole Eos from the chaos. Never again do we want to witness the global agony of humankind, a destruction where the Astrals are being involved. We will banish and bound The Dark Risen One With Three Heads, and free the spirit of the Fallen King to make greater deeds, brighter deeds, to fulfill his soul’s mission without dark forces. We can’t clean his heart, for a human heart is bound to carry dark thoughts within in, but we can rebel against the risen darkness and bless our Future King with the prayers from our divine hearts.”

As Shiva spoke the prayer, Carbuncle’s horn started to shine. The light grew brighter and bigger, more intense and blinding, until a ball of heavy white light was gathered around Carbuncle’s body. A white light started to glow out from Shiva’s body, too, joining Carbuncle’s shine.

“Oh, The future King of Lucis on His way to the throne and His Beloved Assigned One. Wake up from the dark slumber. You are given a new life, a new change. Make us proud!” Carbuncle peeped and jumped in the air, shooting the ball of light out from its horn towards Noctis. It grew rapidly in size, hitting Noctis squarely. It spread out, wider and wider, engulfing everything under its brightness. Soon there was nothing left; only white light, which also swallowed the two Astrals, still sending their blessings to Noctis.

 

................................

 

“Come on, Noct! This is no time to be lazy!”

Ignis’s sharp voice, accompanied with even shaper claps from his leather-glove-covered hands woke Noctis up from his slumber. He protested this sudden wake-up call with a groan, trying to cocoon himself deeper into his bed, but Ignis was faster than him. He yanked the duvet off of Noctis, earning a very loud groan from Noctis’s twisted face.

“I was sleeping…!” Noctis whined, seeking his duvet from Ignis’s hold, blindfolded.

Ignis shook his head at Noctis.

“I appreciate that you are that relaxed, Your Highness, but it’s time to get ready for the mission.”

In a second, Noctis bounced up on all fours on the bed, alerted.

“What, the Divine Mission?!” he squeaked, shocked. “It’s today?!”

“Yes, it is. Just like we talked about yesterday.” Ignis’s face was completely composed.

“Oh man, I totally forgot!” Noctis was hastily scrambling up from the bed, followed by Ignis’s silent command to go to shower. “Sorry, I’ll get ready ASAP. How long?”

“Two hours now.”

“Where’s Prompto?” Noctis was pulling his night t-shirt off of him.

“Also taking a shower, I think. Gladio went to retrieve Iris and assumed they would both make it in time.”

“And the horrible strangler?” Noctis’s face was all murky and dark. He looked at Ignis from underneath his frowned brows.

“The Greatgoat will be delivered here shortly,” Ignis assured, all to Noctis’s dismay. With a loud, protesting groan, Noctis headed to the bathroom to get himself ready. And indeed – when Noctis arrived from shower, had his breakfast, and did his hair, Ignis arrived inside with the mortal fabric. 

With a sour face, Noctis dressed into his ceremony uniform and threw the goat over his shoulders rather dramatically – just to fail with its fastening. Luckily, Ignis was there to help, taming the goat in a matter of seconds.

“I must say, this still looks a bit too big on your shoulders,” Ignis noted when the tricky cloak was in its place, a small tone of humor in his voice.

“What can I say? I haven’t gained much character these years.” Noctis shrugged nonchalantly, and the gesture made the Greatcoat look even bigger on him. “By the way, I take it that it’s that time already?”

“We’ll leave in thirty minutes,” was Ignis’s reply.

Noctis’s eyebrows furrowed together.

“Gladio and Prompto aren’t here yet…” he said, but Ignis only smiled lightly.

“I saw Prompto in the main hall, fussing about the big day like it was about him. Can’t blame him though. This day excites me, too.”

“It does?” Noctis asked, his eyebrow cocking lazily, eyes focusing on Ignis’s completely calm face.  
Ignis cleared his throat.

“I assure you it does,” he said, adjusting his glasses better on the bridge of his fine nose. “I have made sure the banquet afterwards will be the best ever served. That has given me some extra excitement.”

“Yeah, I’ve seen you hurrying around a lot lately. Thanks for the help. I look forward to all your tasty creations. And Gladio is still retrieving Iris, right?”

“Yes. There had been a slight roadblock ahead, so he needed to take a longer route. Gladio promised he’d be here in time and get here with Iris before the ceremony’s start; he doesn’t want to upset Iris, and quite frankly, I don’t wish to see Miss Amicitia upset either. It would ruin the beginning of this important day, don’t you agree?”  
Noctis kept listening to Ignis, his brows knitted together. Ignis’s head tilted slightly.

“Is everything alright, Noct?”

“Ah yeah, just…funny… Feels like I’ve had had this conversation with you… About Prompto being nervous and Gladio and Iris running late…” he mumbled, looking sort of bashful of his comment. “Must be my nerves.”

“…I must say I had a rather strange feeling this morning, too, but I let it slide,” Ignis admitted thoughtfully, almost hesitantly. “However, it’s probably nothing but the mission anxiety. This day does excite me, too, and it’s very important Lucian tradition. Anyone would be excited for it and a bit nervous, too. I think the citizens are as curious about your mission as we are.”

“Oh no, don’t freak me out now with that! I know everyone’s eyes are already on me.” Noctis yelped. “Because you keep reminding me about it all, I’m starting to fear that I’ll get some kind of stupid mission.”

“Like what?” There was a small smirk on Ignis’s corner of the mouth.

“Like… like something mushy like saving a damsel in distress or something.” Noctis snorted with red cheeks, clearly ashamed.

Ignis’s eyebrows rose curiously.

“Oh, is the Young Prince’s heart finally starting to wake up for a romance?” Ignis teased Noctis openly, seemingly enjoying of the different shades of red running across Noctis’s flustered face. 

“Cut that out.” Noctis snorted, still all red. He waved his hand at Ignis to underline that he seriously needed to cut that crap out and help Noctis with the mission preparations. “Please, go see if Prompto is okay. I’m sure he’s super anxious about his position as the royal photographer.”

Ignis wasn’t sure whether Noctis’s mentioning of Prompto was purely out of sheer concern for his friend or a way to get Ignis out from his room from teasing him. Perhaps it was both, but Ignis followed Noctis’s wishes nevertheless. He bid Noctis a short farewell for now, reminding him not to pace around with the great-coat on as it would just make him sweaty and ruin his hair Noctis had been fixing for so long. After that Ignis left Noctis alone, heading to the room where Prompto was staying. He was such a normal guest at the palace nowadays that the king Regis had arranged Prompto a specific guest room for his use.  
Prompto yelped audibly when Ignis knocked the door – so loud Ignis could hear it through the door. He decided to be a gentleman and not bring the scream up as he stepped into Prompto’s room, finding Prompto fidgeting with red cheeks. His camera was hanging from his neck.

“How are you feeling, Prompto?” Ignis asked, closing the door behind him.

Prompto hesitated, looking like he didn’t know if he should be honest or act brave. 

“Just an upset stomach, but you know me by now…” he whimpered, trying to laugh but failing at it. “But hey, I made sure the battery is loaded and I have an extra one if it runs out!”

“That’s good. You clearly are a professional photographer.” Ignis smiled, complimenting Prompto. Prompto smiled briefly back at Ignis, but then the worried, anxious look returned on his face.

Ignis stepped closer to Prompto, patting his shoulder in an encouraging manner.

“Don’t worry. You will do just fine there and take awesome photos for everyone to admire. You won’t be a bother.”

Prompto’s eyes locked with Ignis, his chin tilted down against his chest.

“…I’m nervous. I fear that I’ll screw up but… it’s not that…” he licked his lips, looking cautious. “I… I have had this very strange feeling this whole morning. It started when I woke up. Like… something’s amiss or… I don’t know…”

Ignis gave Prompto a long, long stare.

“So, it’s you, too,” he breathed out. “Noctis was saying the same, like he had already gone through this once. I also feel a bit strange, but I assure you, there’s nothing wrong. This is the biggest day in the life of a crown heir. 

Lucis’s future depends on whether Noctis succeeds with this or not. It would make anyone nervous and anxious for everything. His future affects ours, too.”

“…Yeah. Let’s hope he gets some easy mission. Something he can complete,” Prompto agreed, biting his lips but looking a bit more relaxed by Ignis’s assurance.

“That’s where we come into the picture!” Ignis explained, patting Prompto on his shoulder again. “Even if The Astral would forbid us from helping Noctis directly, we can always act as his background supporters. Look after him, give him support, soothe and cherish him, and give him courage to continue if the path looks hard ahead.”

A bright smile spread on Prompto’s lips, his blue eyes shining a bit. Ignis could tell he had hit the right spot as Prompto nodded eagerly, his timid posture melting away. He lifted his head up, smiled and took a look directly at Ignis.

“I promise you, Ignis, as Noctis is my best and only friend, I will do whatever I can to help Noctis out with this mission. Even if it means devoting my whole life to it!” 

 

\--------------

Shiva’s voice rang beautifully in the church, just to be translated by Lunafreya immediately when silence had fallen over the crowd.  
“Noctis Lucis Caelum, the heir of Lucis’s throne and the rightful king of Lucis. You are being asked to go forth and find your rightful partner, who will rule the Lucis's with you."

 

\- FIN -

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it, folks. The ending. It arrived a lot faster than I had planned but I couldn't continue this fic the way I thought. The ending is still what I wanted it to be (starting a new) but how we got there... well, that I had to edit heavily. Original plans were different, more political, but I had to stop here. The second chance was my original plan, but now I was in a spot where there were two options;
> 
> 1) Abandon the longer storyline (3-4 chapters) and get the fic finished  
> 2) Abandon the whole fic just at the finish line
> 
> No option 3. Just 1 or 2.  
> Option 3 might be that I might some day write the alternative ending, the original stuff. PERHAPS. I don't know if I will. If I do, is it tomorrow of in 6 years? Who knows...
> 
> Am I happy about this last chapter? No, I'm not. It would have deserved better. But I'd been more unhappy with a dropped fic.
> 
> THE ENDING with the second chance WAS my original plan. How we got there with this chapter was not. There was not going to be marriage or happy ending in a sense that now it all is over. That's not my personal jam. Shiva was going to tell Noctis that listen, thing have been fucked up so bad globally now that the only option is to reset the mission and try again - and this time the story would be different. There's a possibility to the mission repeat itself so many times until Noctis gets is right, but I personally thought he'd get it right with the 2nd try. Noctis was going to choose this option, not that Shiva was going to force him to do it.  
> Prompto will ALWAYS be The Divine partner. Always. That won't change whether Noctis tries this once more ot 100 times more until he gets it without causing global damage.
> 
> Sometimes in life you do all the right choice, all the right taks and go for it with your full heart and still, it doesn't work out like you thought. Maybe not at all! But you always get a new chance to try again. You can always try more and anew. That was the theme I wanted with this fic, though now it came out a LOT SHITTIER than I wanted due the fact that either I finish this or I abandon this for good. 
> 
> So, why this?
> 
> \- Some of you might know that I started to run a webcomic FUZZY at Webtoons, which takes majority of my free time now. Scripting, planning, drawing, coloring, editing, publishing + some extra stuff to keep fans happy.  
> \- My Patreon demands work monthly, as I gift people with personal rewards.  
> \- Day job has gotten up with speed and I actually have work now every day! It's great.  
> \- I also planned to participate in horror story competition (in Finnish) which has deadline on October, which will arrive sooner than I think haha.  
> \- My sister is moving permanently to England and I have spent as much free time with her as possible (we've been visiting each other regularly; she's at my place now and will return back to her home after 2 months)  
> \- I went to England and Germany and I'm heading again to England in 10 days for cat sitting my friend couple's 3 cats.  
> So, as you can see, many things. Many, many things going on! 
> 
> I THANK YOU FOR THIS JOURNEY WITH ME. My sincerest graditude goes to shake-your-mane, who stuck with me for so long. Thank you also for other proofreaders, who helped me along the trip.
> 
> MY BIGGEST THANK YOU GOES FOR ALL THE READERS, WHETHER YOU FOLLOWED THIS STORY FROM THE VERY FIRST CHAPTER OR JUST FINISHED THIS FIC. Thank you for your comments, fanart, your support, your feedback and kudos. I loved to read all your thoughts, headcanons, visions and just incoherent screams some chapters caused in some of you. 
> 
> My deepest thank yous and the most sincere apologies,  
> Niu

**Author's Note:**

> How did you like it? Please drop me a comment below - no need to think your comment wouldn't be good enough or you'd be a bother to me, even if you just wrote "Liked it!"/"It looks OK!" (I seriously don't know where that silly idea of being bother among you young ones comes from. I've never heard in my life time any author being bothered by feedback - no, we strive from it!).
> 
> Thank you for reading!


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